KFP3:The Shadow,The Eagle,The Dragon,The Phoenix
by TheOriginalStory
Summary: A stranger arrives. Darkness falls upon the Valley. The seven members of the Palace are part of the biggest challenge ever to happen in the history of kung fu. Destruction and death is coming...what will happen? PoxTi CrxVi OCxTi OCxVi M for: Violence
1. Chapter 1

Kung Fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, and The Phoenix

**Hello everyone, I'm the OriginalStory and this is my first FanFic. I hope everyone likes or loves it, But I don't mind a little criticism. Please follow and I'll update as soon as I get the chance. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I Do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Dreamworks Animation. **

Chapter 1 Morning

The sun began to finally trickle over the far-off hills to the south. The Valley began to stir and yawn as a whole as the first rays of morning lightly ticked their faces.

I never understood why I now enjoyed these early morning hours; perhaps it was my recently new gift of Inner Peace. A gift I received thanks to one of my goofier, yet dedicated students. If only Master Oogway could see him now. A fully respected member of the Palace; someone who had saved China twice from horrible fates. I honestly couldn't have wished for better student than Po our Dragon Warrior. Even though I constantly tease him of his first day here in the halls of the Jade Palace, he has given us laughter again, and given himself to China as a symbol of hope.

My ear twitched as more light flooded through the branches of the Sacred Peach Tree and into my eyes. I quietly observed the town as neighbors and families ventured out into the morning for breakfast, work, and play.

Not breaking my train of thought, I continued to wonder if the peace after Shen's defeat would last. 'It has been two months now and not even a bandit raid has occurred.' My thoughts pondered. 'How could we be so lucky? If this keeps up the students will forget what true combat feels like.'

I had to chuckle at the last thought. 'How could anyone in this Palace forget what combat is like? Especially Tigress.' That last thought caused me to smirk and realize that if I didn't move now the students wouldn't wake on time.

"That's something we cannot have" declaring out loud with a start. I began to turn and walk back towards the barracks where the students slept. Using the cane Master Oogway had given me the night of his passing, I made my way through the hall past the kitchen. Taking some time for a brief stop and observe the small room where Po always seemed to be, 'even if he is on a 'diet'' I thought. Continuing on I made my way to the small closest which housed the morning gong and gently moved it from its place. During even this simple motion I could hear the students stir, preparing to jump out and say their "Good morning Master!" Picking up the small mallet to beat the gong I let it rest in my hand for a brief second. Feeling its smooth wood grip, then with almost full force, beat it into the gong.

"Good morning Master!" voices called out to me. With my ears still ringing from the gong I replied, " Good morning stu-…PANDA!" He still hasn't learned to wake up after all this time has he?

"Panda wake up!" I shouted through the door before entering. His bed was nicely made, with no sign of mess or him for that matter.

"Ehh. Has anyone seen Po?" The Five shook their heads.

"Perhaps he's already preparing breakfast you know how he is." Suggested Mantis helpfully.

"No he is not in the kitchen, and he still isn't unless he can turn invisible and walk right by me" I replied.

"You never know with Po." Monkey stated with a little chuckle.

"Yes but we all know Po cannot be silent, especially when he walks, especially on these floors. Correct me if I'm wrong Master Monkey." I returned with a little less enthusiasm.

"Should we look for him Master?" asked Viper in a concerned tone.

"Yes, but do not fret I'm sure he is around the Palace grounds. When you find him you may eat. Then meet me in the Training Hall."

The others replied with a swift "Yes Master!" and shot off looking for Po.

I began to think to myself again, 'Po has truly left a mark on us all. Big enough mark that we become concerned when he has most likely just gotten up a bit earlier than the rest of us.' Turning and making my way to the Training Hall I walked at a slower pace, hoping that I may find the panda myself. The cobble stones felt cool under my feet in the early morning sun, taking into note that the sun is still barely hanging in the sky.

Gently pushing open the doors to the Training Hall, my ears were greeted with loud kung fu shouts and the sound of fists on wood. Looking over at the Seven Deadly Clubs I could see Po blocking and striking back at the Clubs. He managed to spare me a hardy 'Good morning Master before jumping off the Spirals and landing on his feet with a thud.

"Panda, others and I were worried about you. Where have you been?" I said in a calm but firm tone.

"I couldn't sleep so I came out here last night to train," He stated simply. "I didn't want to bother you guys, or worry you. Does that answer your question?" He said putting on his signature goofy grin.

Letting out a small sigh I continued. "Come on Po. Let us go get the others and start breakfast."

"Yeah let's. I haven't eaten in like 12 hours!" complained Po.

"Then the sooner you get into the kitchen and start breakfast the sooner you can eat." I replied with a small grin.

"How'd you get so smart Master Shifu?" Po asked with enthusiasm.

After chuckling for a few seconds I simply stated "Years of practice Dragon Warrior. Years of practice."

We began to walk back towards the barracks and on the way the others spotted our little pair.

"Guys!" Po shouted.

"Po!" the Five shouted back.

"Where have you been brother?" questioned Viper.

"Yeah where have you been big guy?" asked Mantis and Monkey in union.

"Training," Po stated simply. Causing the others jaws to drop.

"You were training?" Crane asked being the first one to recover from the shock.

"Yeah, c'mon I'll explain over breakfast." Po said quietly.

"You'd better if you don't wish to spar with me," Tigress finished earning a laugh or two from the others.

Giving a small smile I fell in behind the others and began to follow them back towards the kitchen. As we passed the Peach Tree, something caught my eye causing me to stop and turn. Tigress being in the back of the group was the one and only to notice me.

"Master?" She quietly asked.

"I'm fine Tigress. Please go and enjoy your breakfast with the others." I replied not looking at her. My ears twitched, not sure as to what I saw. She seemed reluctant at first but then replied 'Yes Master' before moving on with the others. I slowly moved over towards the small cliff where the Peach Tree called home and looked out over the Valley. Everything seemed calm and peaceful as usual. People doing morning errands, children playing, adults chatting and eating. Looking at the sky where the sun had just risen, I noticed dark, practically black clouds lumbering towards the Valley. 'Hmmm. We may get some rain today.' I noted. Then turned and to head back towards the barracks. 'I must be getting old if a few thunder storms are enough to make me jumpy.'

As he began his way back into the barracks and kitchen Shifu could hear the rumble of storms behind him. If only he knew that this storm was going to begin the hardest challenge he and his students have ever faced.


	2. Chapter 2

Kung Fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The dragon, The Phoenix

** Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Dreamworks Animation. **

Chapter 2: Rough Landing

POV: Po

The morning had begun like always: a few small yawns, and the smell of my dad's delicious noodles wafting into 6 hungry noses. Everyone was waiting patiently for me to call out that the noodles were finished and we could finally eat. As everyone waited Mantis and Monkey became a real riot; they began making jokes and starting small conversations. Usually we were only alert when we were in danger or in training, but around these two you never know when they might pull an embarrassing prank on you.

As I began to focus in on the noodles I could only pick up little bits of what the others were saying. But it seemed that I should've been less focused on the noodles and more on the conversation. Had I been paying more attention I would've seen the tiny insect jump onto my shoulder.

"Right Po?" Mantis asked.

"Ahhhh! O jeeze Mantis! You scared the crap outta me," I looked down and noticed that I had also dropped the ladle holding some of the soup in it. "Now look what you've made me do." I grumbled. Picking up the ladle and placing it on the counter I grabbed a small dishtowel to start wiping up the mess.

As I was cleaning Mantis asked again. "Right Po?'

"Right about what?" I asked, still not paying total attention to Mantis as I had work to do.

"You didn't hear our conversation did you?" he asked crossing his 'thingies'.

"Nope." I said flatly, finally finishing the clean up.

"Monkey and I, who happen to be your two _best friends_, were arguing with the others about who was easier to defeat: Shen or Tai Lung. We_ obviously_ chose Tai Lung, considering he was just a big angry kitty. "Those last words earned a warning glance from Tigress but Mantis shrugged it off, before continuing. "I mean either way none of us could seem to defeat one of them, but you show up and well, they're no longer part of nature."

At that last part I felt a twinge in my heart. "Weeell they were both kinda easy. I was just being myself. But if I had to choose, it would probably be Tai Lung."

Once those words left my mouth the others jaws seemed to drop. "What? I asked. "You guys wanted my opinion," I pouted.

"No brother its fine, I guess the shock of your choice is still affecting us," Said Viper in a monotone voice.

"What do you mean?" I asked folding the towel I my hands nervously.

"You see we thought Shen would've been easier to you to beat. I mean he was no kung fu expert. Just a madman with an army." She replied, her tongue flicking out of her mouth after finishing.

"See that's what I've been trying to argue," Crane interrupted. "Tai Lung manage to take all five of us, including you Tigress, in a head on fight. How could Shen be harder? I mean there were several times where you could've ended with Shen real quickly."

I began to twiddle with my thumbs nervously. " I uuhhh I-I don't know…" was all I could manage before turning back to the soup. I heard someone stand, and then I felt a paw on my shoulder. I turned to see Tigress who actually looked concerned. Her amber eyes showed a small glimpse of worry and doubt, aw those beautiful eyes. "I could look in them all day' I though briefly. I shook the thought from my head as Tigress spoke.

"Po the truth." The words were gentle and caring.

"I dunn-"

"The truth" she said putting more strain on the 'truth'.

"Tai Lung was easier because it was more physical pain than anything. I mean back 8 months ago, if it was easy to get beat up by all of you and Shifu, then it was easier to get beat up by Tai Lung right?" At those words I could see everyone cringe, but I continued. " Really I mean if I was punched in the gut-" Tigress closed her eyes and let out a barely noticeable wince. "-or if I was smacked across the face-" Viper bowed her head in shame. "-or if I was dropped from a tall height-" Crane hid his face with his hat. "-or if he grabbed me wit his pointy little claw thingies-" Mantis cringed. "-or if I was hit sneakily from behind-" Monkey put a hand behind his head and began to rub his neck with a guilty smile. "-it still was bearable. I mean the only other thing he did was call me fat, big guy and lazy. Those names were normal for me growing up." I finished with a sigh. Everyone noticeably shook at the same time as those three names came from my mouth.

I looked at everyone and realized what I had said visibly affected them.

"But," I continued, and everyone looked at me. "If it wasn't for all that, I wouldn't have made such great friends. I wouldn't have such a great a family. I wouldn't have found out the truth about my past. I wouldn't be the warrior or person I am today." I finished with a smile.

"Awww. Group hug!" Mantis shouted.

Everyone came over to Tigress and me and wrapped themselves around me. Even Tigress gave me a warm embrace and for a moment I thought I saw a small smile on her face.

"Ahem," came a strong voice from the doorway. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No Master you aren't," I said as everyone quickly got off me and darted back to their seats as if nothing happened.

"Sure, how is breakfast coming?" he asked, obviously not believing me.

"Actually," I said looking into the pot. "Its just finished."

Quickly grabbing seven bowls and skillfully flicking them into the air I slammed the counter and watched as the pot full of soup flew into the air. Reacting quickly I jumped after the pot and poured out the soup into the bowls mid jump. I landed with a heavy thud on my heels and caught six of the bowls on my arms, three to a side. And the last bowl landed perfected on top of my head. This small performance earned a small cheer from the others, accompanied by a small devilish chuck from Master Shifu.

"Well done Po, it seems your training has finally paid off," he said giving a grin.

"I learned from the best," I countered giving a joking smile.

POV: No one

Po had just finished serving everyone as the clouds overhead began to rumble and release their fury on the Palace and Village. Inside the Masters were too busy eating, joking, and laughing to notice. At that very time a figure began to work its way up the main street of the Valley towards the Palace. The figure was wearing a brown cloak similar to Shifu's but it had a hood to protect him from the rain. This newcomer had a small sack slung over his back; it was of similar color and materials as his cloak. The figure continued to make its way ever so slowly through the blinding storm towards the steps of the Palace.

Looking closer at the figure one could notice that he was limping slightly, nursing his right foot. Also not only was his right arm holding into the sack but it also was clasped onto the left arm. In good weather even a child could note that the arm was broken and required medical attention. After every step the figure seemed to leave behind a small pool of blood. Someone who was skilled in deduction could conclude that he had multiple lacerations across his body, but are hidden by his cloak.

Finally reaching the steps the figure stopped and appeared to calculate if he could make it up those stairs. He heaved a large and tired sigh ready mentally to make the effort when voices behind him stopped him.

A small bunny cowered before two larger wolves. The wolves were taunting the small rabbit and demanding treasures and supplies from him. It was obvious the rabbit had no chance against these hooligans and was naturally forced to comply.

The figure heaved another sigh and placed his bag dawn on a stone. It would keep the contents dryer than the puddle sure would. Then the figure made its way over towards the three creatures and once it was within earshot, yelled out.

"Hey pick on someone your own size!" That was all the figure could muster. After all he was in crippling pain and was slowly loosing his energy, not to mention being doused with gallons of rain a second. The wolves turned and snickered at the hooded figure.

"Well, well," one of the wolves said circling the figure. "Looks like we're gonna have two victims instead of one today," the wolf said with a laugh.

He threw a punch at the back of the figures hood, only to be met by a hand catching his punch. Twisting the wolf's arm down and to the side the figure replied.

"You should pick your victims better." his voice laced with an accent from far away lands.

In the swift movement of an arm the figure threw the wolf aside like a rag doll. Turning back to the other wolf seemed to take more effort than the throw, but the figure managed to face down the other wolf.

"Care to try your luck?" the figure asked. A slight cocky attitude mixed in with his voice.

"I actually think I'm gonna go replied the wolf," as he turned, picked up his friend and fled into the storm.

"Thank you!" a small voice came out from underneath the hooded man's feet. "How can I ever repay you?" the small rabbit asked picking up his small pouch of money and the bag of food he must've obtained earlier.

"No repayment is necessary, I'm just a traveler looking for some people," replied the voice from under the hood. "How ever if you know where the Furious Five, Dragon Warrior and Grand Master Shifu live I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me towards their door," the figure finished.

"Master Shifu and and his students live in the Jade Palace atop those steps over there," replied the bunny. Pointing the direction out for the mysterious hooded man.

The figure heaved another tired sigh and responded tiredly. "Of course they are," the figure walked over to his bag picked up and continued. "Thank you for pointing the way for me," he finished with politer tone. Then the figure turned once again from the man he had just helped and began the long journey up the stairs in the heavy down pour.

POV : No one

Master Shifu and his students had just finished breakfast and were beginning to make their way out of the kitchen when they heard the storm rage out side.

"Hmm," Master Shifu thought aloud. "I don't want us to go out in the rain, it's not worth catching a cold today." Turning to look at his students, making sure he had their attention. "Instead I want you to stay here in the Hall and study. We've been training our bodies hard but have forgotten to train our minds. I want all of you to go a continue studying the 1000 scrolls of kung fu. Please make sure you have the correct scroll you left off on."

All his students, minus Tigress, let out a collective 'awwww' and went to work. Each Master had read and mastered a certain number of scrolls and most felt like they had reached their limit. Especially one large and friendly panda that was never very good at reading even if he had been to the Valley's school as a child. Each Master picked up the last scroll that they were studying and began to read. Tigress picked up scroll # 583, and began to read, Crane followed her and began to read scroll 559. They were the smartest of the two and had reached almost _their_ limit but continued to study never-the-less. Soon after those two, Po and Monkey picked up scroll 491 together and went to lean against a pillar in the massive Hall of Heroes. Monkey had helped Po study an d catch up to the level Master Shifu wanted them all at, and of course Po with his ability to learn fast had caught right up to Monkey so now they shared. Viper slithered over next to them and placed scroll 472 on the ground near theirs. She had a small disadvantage compared to the others, due to the fact she was youngest out of the Five and Po. She was in her early twenties while Tigress was in her late twenties. Po had recently hit 31. Monkey was half a year older than him and Mantis was 33. The oldest was Crane who would hit 40 in a month and a half's time. Last but not least Mantis picked up his scroll 400 and hopped over to Po, Monkey, and Viper, hoping to get some company since he wasn't very patient with scrolls or studying for that matter.

As everyone began to settle in loud booms outside rumbled their way into the Hall. The strongest part of the storm had worked its way onto the Palace doorstep as well as a hooded figure. Shifu was busy watching his students study when his ears twitched picking up what sounded like knocking on the door. It was hard to tell because of the thunder that roared out very other minute.

Then an unlikely voice rung out, "Master I think someone's at the door." Out of everyone Shifu least expected Po to hear anything. Yet he was the Dragon Warrior after all. Shifu let out a small chuckle and turned to see who could be at their door in such bad weather. Shifu grasped the old door handle in one paw unlocked it with his free paw and slid the door open just a crack. No one was there. Shifu opened the door enough to stick his old head out and looked in all directions. Still no body was there. Frustrated Shifu swung the door open and noticed something out of the corner of his eye. On the stone ground before him was a figure in a brown cloak similar to his own. The creature was laying face first on the ground head and right arm pointing towards the door. Shifu reached down to see if he was okay, but the second he touched to cloak he could feel how soaked this person was. Noticing an off color stain in the cloak Shifu touched it and then looked at his hands, they were metallic red. A quick glance caused Shifu's eyes to widen as he noticed small blood pools around parts of the figure's body.

"Quickly, Monkey run as fast as you can and get the healer!" demanded Shifu.

The other walked over calmly, not knowing what has caused such an out burst from their Master.

"Why would we need the-" Monkey began but then noticed the body along with the others.

"Now Monkey!" Shifu shouted more demanding this time.

"Right away Master!" Monkey exclaimed rushing off into the blinding storm.

Then Shifu started barking commands. "Viper go with Crane and prepare the extra room in the barracks now!" commanded Shifu.

"Yes Master!" the pair replied and rushed off.

"Mantis go and grab bandages and medical supplies from the storage room quickly!"

"Yes Master Shifu," Mantis said hopping off towards the storage room.

"Po, Tigress carry this man to the extra room quickly, but be careful."

"Yes Master."

Po and Tigress gently lifted the figure and began to carry it off towards the extra room, with Shifu right on their heels. The whole time it took them to reach the extra room Shifu couldn't help but think: 'Maybe I was right to worry earlier…'


	3. Chapter 3

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 3: The Awakening

4 Days later….

POV: No one

Viper was the next one in line to watch over the wounded….whatever he was. No one had ever seen this type of creature, at least in China. He seemed to have fur but only on top of his head or at least she thought it was fur. This stranger had ruff skin from years of sun exposure combined with the scar that ran from his cheek bone to his chin on the right side of his face. The only other part of his cloaked body that was still exposed was his hands which had a similar texture to his face. The rest of his hastily bandaged body had been covered in a giant blanket to keep him warm during China's cooler nights.

Viper watched as the stranger moaned and shifted in his sleep. She sighed and took a small hand cloth from the bath house and dipped it in cool water. Lifting it to his forehead Viper rubbed the cloth back and forth gently making sure that 'her patient' was not disturbed. Not that she secretly didn't wish this _man_ would wake up.

Perhaps it was luck or just irony, but the second the thought of the creature waking up crossed Viper's mind the stranger's eyes shot open. Gasping loudly and sitting straight up in bed the stranger looked around with alertness. Viper let out a small surprised squeak, and knocked the bowl with water of the small table onto the floor. After the small shock, the stranger noticed Viper and his eyes softened. Viper heard him speak in a foreign tongue but could not understand or even recognize his language.

"Excuse me but you don't happen to speak Mandarin* do you?" asked Viper with a quite politeness.

The stranger swung his feet over to her side of the bed and he attempted to bow, but the bandages restricted his actions.

"Yes madam, please excuse my previous actions and my use of my native tongue."

"Oh it's no trouble." Viper replied using her best manners which had improved since last visiting Gongmen city's Council of Masters. "Please forgive me, I must have startled you." Viper continued

"No its fine." Sighed the stranger as he let himself fall back into the large pillow Po found 3 days ago. "Where am I?" he asked quietly.

"You're in the Jade Palace, I'm Master Viper. It's a pleasure to meet you." Viper said slithering over to grab the small bowl off the floor.

"The Jade palace….I've finally made it."That was all he stranger could manage. He still seemed a little shocked at the thought.

"Yes you made it, we found you in really bad shape outside the Hall of Heroes. Why were you like that? What happened to you? Where did you come from How long have you been traveling? How long hav-" Viper had so many questions but was cut off from the stranger, who still seemed shocked from the idea of making it to the Jade Palace.

"And I'm being taken care of by a beautiful woman…" said the stranger dreamily staring at the ceiling.

Viper's eyes flew open, and she dropped the bowl.' He thinks I'm beautiful?' she thought to herself. Quickly picking up the bowl, and continuing trying not to show her surprise to the stranger's outburst.

"You still haven't answered m questions," she replied, quickly regaining her composure. When no response was given she looked over at the creature, he had fallen asleep again. Slightly disappointed she slithered over to the bed and re-tucked him into the small cot with the large, thick blanket.

"Even if he said I'm beautiful, everyone says that too me, especially those wannabe courters." Viper thought out loud. "I mean who wouldn't want the eldest daughter of Grand Master Viper?" she continued not noticing a figure sit up behind her. "But no one ever writes, or for that matter says what I want to hear."

Before she could continue with her rant a voice behind her caught her off guard.

"Yes, because everyone is always so occupied with your outward beauty they forget what is truly important." Viper almost jumped out of her skin, but she managed to turn around and face the voice. She noticed the stranger standing a foot or two behind her wearing a gentle and kind look. He smiled at her and continued. "You have heard enough of the outward compliments; worst of all after a long while of those types of compliments you begin to think you're only a body to people. What people forget to tell you is that you have a heart, that you're a caring snake. A snake that is gentle and wishes to give herself for the better of everyone else. You want others to know you care, and that you would protect them like a mother they never had. That is why you decided to learn Kung Fu, am I right?"

Viper struggled for words. Her mouth was hanging open just like the time Po had hugged Tigress on the dock back in Gongmen city. She was about to the find words she wanted when the stranger continued.

"I know how you feel," he said sitting back on the cot. "Well at least to an extent. Back home I was wanted because I was a talented dancer and a 'wonderful' swordsman." He looked at her, his eyes were jade with swirls of grassy green, and she looked back her azul eyes met his. She shivered under his gaze, but she managed to find words to respond.

"You….You were…a swordsman?" She stuttered, looking him over. "You don't look like one."

"How do you think I managed to make it here through all those countless bandit-filled passes?" he countered with a cocky attitude, while revealing a small knife within his cloak. He gave it a small twirl then hid it back within his cloak.

Viper had a look of admiration on her face; she had never met someone like this/him before. "I never got your name." she said, barely managing to put the words together.

"I'm called a lot of things, my real name I still wish to keep secret for now. But my family name is Bane*, you may call me that." He said with a grin.

Viper looked confused, 'why would he hide his real name?' she wondered. She shrugged it off and was about to say something when Po burst his way through the door.

"Viper, Shifu wants you to come to the training ha-"Po stopped as he noticed the stranger awake, and even standing. "Oh you're awake, nice to meet you. I'm Po, the Dragon Warrior. What's your name?" Po asked enthusiastically holding out his hand for Bane to shake.

Bane hesitated, then put on a smile similar to Po's goofy grin, took his hand and replied. "Bane, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"You can call me Po. It's what all my friends call me."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Bane finally letting go of his hand.

Viper interrupted, "It's good to know you two are acquainted," Viper shot towards the two goof men. "But Po and I have business to attend to." Viper finished showing Po the door.

Po got the hint but was oblivious to the annoyed emotion mixed into Viper's voice. "Will you be fine here alone for a while?" Viper asked Bane politely.

"Yes, Master Viper," he replied knowing the predicament she was in. At that second Viper could have sworn she saw him wink at her as he bowed respectively. Perhaps it was her imagination she thought. She bowed back along with Po, and continued "Thank you for understanding. I will be back to check on you later." She said turning and slithering back out the door. Po began to follow, but stopped. "Oh! And if you're hungry there's food in the kitchen, which is down the hall to your left-"

"Po! We're gonna be ate for training!" Viper shouted from further down the corridor.

"Coming Viper!" Po began to turn, but looked back at Bane. "Sorry I've gotta…go…I'm just gonna you know…go." He stuttered and left.

Bane looked at the empty doorway and then shook his head and began to laugh. 'What an awkward group they are' he thought to himself. He gently closed the door and sat down in the middle of the room in a lotus position. Closing his eyes he began to meditate, a moment or two later he opened his eyes, got up, opened the door and followed the pair's voices towards the Training Hall.

***Mandarin: one of the native tongues of China **

***Bane: means deadly poison **


	4. Chapter 4

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 4: The Show Off

POV: No one

"The Training Hall, a place where warriors are born, and the babies are separated from the adults. Where-"

"Panda! Would you quit with the unnecessary commentary!" Master Shifu barked at the goofy student.

"Yes Master Shifu," replied Po with disappointment.

"Good," Master Shifu stated with annoyance, "Now I want all of you to work on your strengths today, focus on your best moves and motions, what you feel most comfortable with. While you do that I will prepare sparing partners."

"But Master," Tigress interjected, "Aren't we supposed to strengthen our weaknesses?"

"Normally, yes. However some of us have worked so hard on our weaknesses that we've forgotten our strengths. Which is what we primarily contribute to our team" Shifu put it plainly. Tigress was about to argue, but Shifu held up his hand. "My logic may seem strange, but right now I'm relying on a gut feeling we're missing something. So please Tigress go and train while I think." Master Shifu finished.

Tigress sighed and walked over to the Seven Deadly Clubs of Instant oblivion and began her sequences. The others followed and began to work to their strengths. Crane took to the Jade Tortoise; While Monkey took to the Seven Talon-Rings. Viper took her place dodging the flames in the Field of Fire. Once again, last of all Mantis took to the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors. Po decided to run through the entire course, while briefly challenging each Master in their 'zone' before continuing on to the next obstacle. Shifu began to observe his students when he heard a silent noise behind him. It sounded like footsteps, turning around Master Shifu saw no one behind him, but was surprised to see a figure silently standing next to him.

Bane had found his way into the training Hall by following Viper and Po. He stood next to Shifu arms folded taking in the site in front of him.

"Quite an impressive place you have here Grand Master Shifu." Bane said coolly.

"Yes, indeed….what was your name?"

"Bane, Master Shifu."

"Bane, yes it is quite a _place_; however guests usually aren't allowed in here. Only warriors have only been allowed inside the Training Hall for centuries. Except Mr. Ping who didn't know any better." Master Shifu contemplated that last statement for a bit, and then continued. "Anyways why are you in here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Master Shifu asked annoyed. Everyone else in the Training Hall began to stare.

"Perhaps I was curious," He shrugged. "Her form is off." Bane put flatly pointing at Tigress. Master Shifu's ear twitched, Viper and Cranes' mouths dropped open. Both Po and Monkey covered their mouths. Mantis was the first to speak, "He is so dead."

Tigress fumed, "What did you just say!"

"I said 'your form was off _Master Tigress_'" Bane stated coolly from his spot next to Master Shifu, his arms still folded.

Master Tigress stormed over to Bane's spot fuming. "Well then why don't you show me how to use _Tiger Style_?" Tigress asked dangerously calm. The others wore looks of horror; she was going to kill the stranger for insulting her kung fu in front of Master Shifu. Master Shifu couldn't help but get a smug look at the thought of his 'guest' getting beat by his best student.

Bane sighed, "Very well Master Tigress." Jumping down to the sparing floor, Bane took up a stricter, in fact better looking form of Tigresses' stance. Tigress mimicked his form not wanting to be showed up in front of her friends. 'He may have the stance, but he doesn't have the moves.' Tigress thought to herself before lunging at the guest.

At that second everyone heard Viper cry out. "Tigress no! He's injur-"

But before she could finish her sentence Tigress threw her punch, as she threw it she could've sworn Bane winked at her. Before it connected Bane moved with a speed faster than the eye could blink, he stepped to the side and placed his own straight and firm punch to Tigresses' diaphragm. The female tiger let out a grunt as the punch knocked the wind from her lungs. Once she caught her breath she looked at her friends who had shocked faces, then back to her opponent who wore a smug look. Tigress seethed in anger but before she could retaliate she heard two dreaded words from Shifu.

"Point Bane." Those words stuck in his throat, how could he knock his best student out of the ring? Especially in two quick movements. He had to give Tigress a chance against this stranger, but how? Then an idea popped its way into Shifu's mind. "The match will be decided by best of three rounds."

"Alright," said Bane. "I can do that."

This time Tigress knew not to attack first. She decided that it would be wise to let him make the first move; the first mistake.

Tigress taunted at Bane "You just gonna stand all day or are we going to fight?"

"In my country _ladies _go first but if you must insist."

It took all of Tigresses' control to restrain herself from lunging at that comment. But before she could think twice he was already upon her. He feinted a left kick to her head, ducked under her block and sent a right kick to her unprotected stomach. Tigress doubled over in pain; something she hadn't done in years but before she could recover, an upper cut found its way to her jaw. Once again Tigress had been flung from the arena. Master Shifu's ear twitched and his mouth hung open in shock. Mantis fainted to the floor, Monkey and Po had their mouths covered in shock. Crane's beak was open far enough a pelican would be jealous, and Viper flicked her tongue in and out, trying not to hyperventilate.

"P-point Bane," was all Shifu could muster before dropping Oogway's staff.

Bane looked at the others from his position on the field. Turning towards Tigress he walked over to her distorted figure. Looking down at her Bane noticed Tigress nursing her jaw.

Bane offered her a hand and said, "Luckily I restrained myself, or the jaw would be the least of your problems. But then again you know a lot about restraint don't you? After all you were quite a _monstrous_ child." Tigress slapped away his hand and growled.

"I'm not helpless," she growled picking herself off the floor.

"Hey I'm just trying to be a _good sport,_" Bane defended himself.

"Oh and what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Tigress replied balling up her fists.

"Well all I did was _suggest _that your form was off, but then instead of taking my simple advice. You tried to show me up in a fight. Look how that turned out." Bane said starting to raise his voice.

"Well I for one don't see how _you _of all people could know how to do _my_ style." Tigress spat out.

"YOU'RE STYLE?" Bane became mad. "You never invented Tiger style. It was invented a thousand years ago by the Master's of the Triumvirate." Bane seethed back.

"What do you mean Ma-"but Tigress was cut off by Bane.

"But the worst part is that you're a terrible sport when you lose in a SPAR. You could take the opportunity to learn from someone who knows more about your style, but no you throw that away. You could make yourself a better warrior if you'd only swallow your pride bullshit for two seconds." Bane's face was less than an inch away from hers. His eyes seemed to contain a green fire within them swirling around. Then the guest let out a small sigh, turned away and said, "If you need me I'll be in my room. "

Tigress felt terrible, but her pride didn't let that show. Only instead she got up and began to destroy the Seven Deadly Clubs _into_ oblivion.

The others were still recovering from their initial shock. All they could do was either stare at the pissed Tigress or the fainted Mantis. Everyone sat there for a moment, deciding what their next move should be, but before they could decide what to do, the universe decided for them.

Zeng came rushing in panting from flying. Everyone looked at the panicked bird with worry. Even Tigress snapped out of her mood to see what was happening.

"Grand Master Shifu," Zeng panted out between breaths.

"What is it Zeng?" Master Shifu asked impatiently.

"B-bandits, their attacking the mountain village of Xia-Zhan!" Zeng exclaimed.

"Isn't that the city with the large castle-like walls and tower Master Shifu? I think I read that in my studies." Po asked.

"Yeah I think I remember that too." Monkey added.

"Yes indeed, if that city is taken, bandits could have a well-positioned fortress." Master Shifu thought out loud. "If they indeed have it could require an army to take it. Considering it's defended on all sides by the natural mountain formations, and that it has a large 20 meter wall, who knows how long it could take to recover it." Master Shifu finished.

"Don't worry Master. We'll defeat those bandits and bring them to justice!" shouted Po. "C'mon guys let's go!"

"Oh one more thing," Zeng added."I was flying overhead, and I happened to see a figure wearing a purple and black robe. I don't know who he is, or why he's there with those bandits, but it cannot be good."

"Thanks Zeng!" Po said rushing out the door. "We'll be extra careful."

The Five followed him out the training Hall and down the Steps. Master Shifu watched them disappear into the distance. 'Hmmm hooded figure' Master Shifu thought to himself.

"M-master Shifu what are you thinking about?" asked Zeng politely.

"Nothing, I have a hunch is all. Follow me Zeng."

"Yes Master Shifu."


	5. Chapter 5

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**Hello everyone. Hope you're enjoying the story…this chapter will start some of the KFP couples and give hints to the future (of the story). Hopefully you'll love this chapter, because I know it's been slow so far. I know some people are craving a little PoxTi so you'll see some in this chapter, along with a bit of CrxVi. Enjoy. ****J**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 5: Secret Revealed by Force

POV: Bane/Tigress

15 minutes later…..

_ '__Perhaps I should not have journeyed out here in the first place, I seem to be causing more trouble than helping.' As that though crossed my mind there was a knock at the door followed by a voice. _

_ "__Bane, may I come in?" _

_ "__Yes you may," I responded to the voice behind the door. _

_Looking up from my seat on the floor I saw master Shifu and one of his servants enter, each had a different expression. Master Shifu had a expressionless face, quite normal for him; an attribute that I had had previously heard so much about on my endeavors. Various travelers had spookenn much about Master Shifu and his greatness, and of course his constant emotionless face. Now the goose was another story, he looked like a nervous wreck. One could assume he was close to a panic attack, so having a curious nature/ caring nature decided to speak. _

_ "__What's wrong?" I asked throwing in a concerned scowl for good measure. _

_Before the bird could respond Master Shifu stepped in._

_ "__What's wrong is that a large mass of bandits is overwhelming a fortified position on a local mountain top. And of course all of my students had to go and help repel this force." _

_ "__Ahhh, so are you worried about them?" I pressed. _

_ "__In a sense yes," Master Shifu replied while walking over and facing the open window. The sound of birds chirping could be heard throughout the room. _

_ "__Is there any way I could help? Perhaps ease your worry?" I asked watching the concerned Grand Master. _

_ "__Yes, as a matter of fact you can," Shifu said turning to me. "I want to see if you could identify a figure for me." _

_ "__Sure but why me?" I asked, curiosity filling my veins _

_ "__Because you are a traveler judging by the size and shape of your sack. The excessive sun exposure is another dead giveaway. Also from the way you defeated Tigress I figured you are an observant warrior who studies people, their strengths and weakness. If you have seen this person you will recognize them." Master Shifu explain, smiling with confidence in his own observatory skills. _

_ "__Very impressive Master Shifu, however, how did you know I was a warrior?" I inquired. _

_ "__No ordinary man hides a dagger pouch in his traveling cloak, or for that matter on gives his family name as a way to address him." Master Shifu smiled knowingly. "The fact you are hiding your name means your hiding something of importance, which you and I shall address at a later time, however now I have no choice but to trust you." Master Shifu gave me an intense stare. "Will you tell me what I need, even if you are hiding much from me?" _

_I took a second to pretend to think about this offer. Then I spoke. _

_ "__And if I refuse?" I asked out loud. _

_ "__Then your whole journey will be waste wouldn't it?" Shifu gave a knowing smile. _

_My eyes shot open for a second. 'How did he know!' my mind screamed. _

_ "__Then you have figured out who I am, haven't you Shifu?" I asked staring down at the floor, realizing my ruse was finished. _

_ "__Indeed, no one has used the '_Bane_' family name for years. I may not know much about lands outside of China, but I do know of names Master Oogway spoke of." Master Shifu giving a victory smile. "Now back to the matter at hand. My messenger, Zeng, has seen a figure which he will describe to you. Hopeful you will know who this is and be able to tell us more about this…'person'. "_

_I gave Shifu an understanding nod then turned to Zeng to listen to the description._

We had made it in a record time to Xia-Zhan.' It would probably be Po's better physical condition that had allowed us to move faster. I will also admit that the panda's slimming down has made him slightly more bearable to the eyes. Okay scratch that, he was actually becoming attractive.' I shook y head at those thoughts.

"Stop it Tigress, you the hardcore remember?" I spoke out loud softly.

"Did you say something sister?" Viper slithered up behind me.

"No I was just thinking out loud." I quickly replied.

"It's about Po isn't it?"

I cursed under my breath, 'why did she have to be so smart?' I thought.

"Yes it is…was…whatever lets' focus on the mission shall we?"

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook for know, but you and I are having a serious girl talk when we get back." She hissed then continued, "Besides you have a better chance with him then I have a chance with-"She was cut off by Monkey.

"Shhhh, you two are gonna give us away."

"Yeah guys, keep it down." Piped up Mantis.

At that the four started to bicker back and forth. Deciding which was more important, the girls' conversation or not getting caught. After a awhile Crane dipped down out of the skies from scouting to report his findings, when he noticed the small word battle ensuing. Plopping down next to Po, who had given up and folded his arms, Crane decided to ask what happened.

"Uhh Po what's going on?" Crane asked in a hushed voice.

"I dunno, I was suggesting we make a plan on how to get inside when the others started fighting." Po said, giving a fed up look. After defeating Shen, the Five and Shifu elected Po the unofficial leader of the group. Miniature fights like these he still hadn't gotten used to.

"Watched this," Crane said giving Po a wing-bow to the shoulder. Flying over to a position behind the others Crane gave Po a wink, and then cleared his throat in a perfect recreation of Shifu when he wanted their attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and jumped to attention. The others were expecting their master to have snuck up on them, so they were really surprised and ticked when they saw Crane standing there.

"Now," Crane started, eyeing the others. "I suggest we listen to Po. We need to come up with a plan on how to get inside."

The others turned back to Po ready to listen, when they heard a voice from above them.

"I have an idea why don't you go to sleep now?" shouted a voice on top of the walls. As they turned to look for the voice, three creatures suddenly appeared in front of them. Before anyone could react to the ambush they felt their faces hit the ground, as they went out cold.

_My eyes shot open after Zeng finished his vague description. Even from the lack of details_ _I could tell who he was describing. _

_ "__Oh no, Oh no no no no," I began. "This is not good." _

_ "__Then my hunch is correct, you do know the man." Shifu said calmly, even though I was obviously worried. _

_I gave a sarcastic laugh then said, "Know this man, he could be my brother I know him so well. I knew he was tracking me, but I didn't think _he _of all people would follow me into China."_

_Master Shifu became interested, "Who is _'he'_?" _

_ "'_He_' is a tracker named Almar, a scout warrior for the 'Shadow Army'."_

_ "'__Shadow Army?'" Master Shifu inquired. _

_ "__An army combined of various forces, which has an elite group of warriors, known as the 'Shadows'. These 'Shadows' are warriors who are created from a dark mist that allows them to possess people, turn into mist and vanish. But worst of all they cannot be hurt unless you have absorbed one of the three 'Legendary Fires'."_

_ "__Yes, ancient fires that were discovered and guarded by the three original masters, The Master's of the Triumvirate." _

_ "__You mean the three that allowed Master Oogway to take kung fu from their hands and give it to this world?"_

_ "__Precisely Master Shifu," I responded. "They were known as the Universal Masters. Each had created and mastered every style of kung fu, absorbed one of the Flames each, and had a special power. One was given the ability of endless knowledge, the other endless strength, and the final one endless youth. Otherwise known as the Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Eagle." _

_ "__That doesn't seem to help with the matter at hand…" Master Shifu said becoming a bit impatient. _

_ "__Eventually, a fourth came along to balance out the other three; he was called the Shadow, and was given the gift of evil. Eventually he became so evil that he was equal to the other three Masters, and began to corrupt living souls. Almar is one of these souls. The Shadow is still out there controlling minds such as Almar and will continue to exist unless every bit of shadow is destroyed, and darkness no longer exists in this world." I paused to watch Master Shifu and Zeng who were listening intently, then continued. "I joined a group, our members call the Brother Hood. We resist and fight the Shadows, and we follow a strict creed of protecting the innocent. However some unfortunate evens have led me to become the Brother Hood's sole survivor and our creed's soul keeper. I would give my life if it meant avenging my fallen comrades and destroying the darkness." I finished pounding my fist into a small desk next to my cot. _

_ "__That's all very good but," Shifu began. "What about my students? If this Almar is a Shadow then they couldn't defeat him, let alone all of his bandit thugs."_

_I gave a snort then spoke, "Most likely those so called 'bandits' are members of his army. Dressed up like bandits so not to draw too much attention, rouge bandits aren't as bad as a scouting party fo a massive army of 100,000." As those words left my mouth I saw Zeng's and Shifu's mouths drop, then let out a small laugh. "Yeah, not only that they have conquered the rest of the known world besides China, that's another reason why I left." I stood up to face them. "In fact I bet the rest of the army will be here in 5 month's time." _

_Master Shifu sat down and placed a hand on his forehead. He suddenly looked twice as old, if that was even possible. He seemed to be thinking then began. _

_ "__I guess we'll handle one problem at a time," he said quieter than a mouse squeak. "What of my students? Do you know what Almar will do to them?" Shifu asked._

_ "__If I know Almar, he's already got your students captured. So the first thing he'll do is chain and cage them. Then sit them before him to gloat in their faces."_

I had just regained consciousness; my head was pounding in the rear. I was sure there would be a welt there if I could look at the back of my head. Then the most hideous laugh rang out in front of me, followed by a voice.

"Well well, the _kitten_ has finally joined us has she?"

Looking around I notice the others chained and Mantis caged. We were all lined up in front of a cloaked figure, no; _the _cloaked figure Zeng had saw earlier and warned us about.

"Tigress!" A voice called out to my right. Looking over I could see Po, his hands chained behind his back, on his knees like the rest of us. It reminded me so much of when we were captured and placed in front of Shen and his 'weapon' back in Gongmen.

"Po?" I managed, my head was still throbbing.

"I-we were so worried!" Po called out.

"Shut up!" shouted the cloaked figure. "I brought you hear so you could celebrate my victory over you. Not for you to be concerned for one another."

"_After that he'll try and break you. Almar does his research about potential opponents. He knows their secrets, fears, worries, and desires." _

"Why don't you just shut your trap! Besides, at least we don't hide our faces like cowards." Mantis shouted out, earning a chuckle from the others.

"Ahh, Master Mantis. So glad you could share your opinion with us. However I don't remember asking you to speak." The figure leaned in close to Mantis' face. "Besides I'm sure you would like to keep you head, after all isn't that why you're not married yet?"

"W-what do you mean?" Mantis asked nervously. The other's eyed Mantis, confused. Noticing the others' looks the figure continued.

"Didn't he tell you? He's not a ladies' man, he's a coward. He's afraid of commitment, because he is afraid of death." The figure spat.

"Hey I'm not afraid of anything!" Mantis tried to defend himself.

"Yes you are and you know it!" The figure flung words back at Mantis. And that was all it took, Mantis backed up and bowed his head in shame.

"Hey man not cool." Monkey tried to defend his friend from further verbal abuse. "Mantis is no coward; everyone fears death at one point in their life."

"True, but it takes a real coward to steal, prank, and plummet an entire village into chaos." A small smile was visible from under the figure's hood.

"I was only a messed up child when-"Monkey began but was cut off.

"And you still are! You think anyone can take you seriously! You're a Monkey, a funny little creature only good for a laugh. Why don't you crawl back into your barrel with your no good thieving brother. Or should I tell your friends about what you've been doing to them behind their back?" The small smile was a full grin now.

Monkey let out a sigh and bowed his head like Mantis, small tears were seen dripping down his cheeks.

"What a low life," Crane spat out towards Almar's figure. "Targeting their past mistakes. They've made up for them with all the good they've done and then some."

"Speaking from experience I see Master Crane." The figure said turning his attention to the avian. "After all you couldn't even stand up for yourself. It was only by luck that someone spoke up for your skills, that by luck you managed to get into a trial a chance to make it into the prestige Lee Da Academy." Crane opened his mouth to speak but the figure continued. "But worst of all you cannot even tell a girl you have a crush on her." Crane managed to tip his hat forward, both to stop the insults and to hide his shame. A small satisfied nod came from the shrouded figure.

"Okay I've had enough with you messing with my friends' minds enough is enough!" shouted Po.

"Your friends," began Almar's figure. "You mean these poor souls who never wanted you?" Po had a shocked and upset look come across his face as the memories came back to him. "Really why would a group of tough warriors want a _fat_, _soft_, _squishy_, _weak_, _pathetic_, PANDA!" Po was now full out crying now.

I couldn't help but bare my fangs and growl at this, this monster. But before I could say something another voice rang out.

"Leave my brother alone!" Viper shouted at the crafty figure.

_ "__Then he will try and claim the girls as his slaves, to fill his more 'personal' desires."_

"Ahhh, Master Viper! So glad you could contribute to our conversation." The figure became real smug.

"I had heard of your beauty from countries away. Then again, who wouldn't? I mean after all you are a _woman_ so you're only as good s your body. And I mean you are a snake so that's really all you are." Viper was about to make a smart remark when the figure silenced her with final heart crushing words. "If you think anyone cares about what is inside you then you're wrong…they're just saying it so they can get a crack at you. The only way Master Oogway even found out about you and let you join was because of your beauty. Really when the most beautiful woman in China take a liking to kung fu why wouldn't you add her to your team? You're nothing without your body, you cannot even do kung fu without it, your _useless_." Tears started to stream down Viper's cheeks. "Of course I could employ you for what you were born for; you could be my concubine. I'm sure my men and I will _thoroughly_ enjoy you." This earned a chuckle from his body guards. But the figure's words didn't sit with one warrior.

"You sick bastard!" Crane shouted and tried to lunge at Almar.

"Struck a nerve have I Crane the _Coward_ ?"

Crane looked away and stole a glimpse at Viper who smiled through her tears at his bravery. 'thank you' I saw her mouth.

Finally this evil creature turned his attention to me. I silently swore to myself that I wouldn't break like the others.

"Ahhhh, last but not least is our _mysterious _friend Master Tigress." I growled at that comment while he gave an evil chuckle. "What's it like not to be loved, to be hated by everyone?"

"I don't know why don't you tell me?" I replied smartly.

"Very funny, however I at least had a family who cared enough not to abandon me. A family that loves me, that didn't leave me where I wasn't welcome. A father that cared instead of never showing emotion. What's your adoptive father's name? Master Shifu wasn't it? I'd love to pay him a visit."

His face was an inch away from mine and I gave a furious snarl. "You will not lay a finger on him!"

He let out an evil cackle, "You actually care for the man who never _loved_ you? What a pathetic creature you are. Then again I should expect no less from Master Tiger's daughter."

"Y-you knew my dad real dad?" I asked

"Yes, I also know that he and his entire village, _your_ family, burned in a fire caused by a man. What was his name? Shen? I don't know, all I do know was they were in his way of destroying the remaining pandas. So he took out the problem."

That tore it! I could no longer hold back my emotions. I began to cry for the first time in almost 20 years. One voice rang out among my weeping.

"It's not true Tigress, you have a family that loves you," it was Po. "We, I love you."

I could feel a smile form on my lips I suddenly felt stronger again thanks to his words. Before I could thank him our situation turned worse.

"Shut up fatty! Well if my words cannot break you," he began.

_"__But if all else fail, he won't hesitate to break you physically"_

"Then my little friend will convince you otherwise." The figure chuckled giving his whip a loud crack.

_ "__What do you suggest that we do?" Master Shifu asked worriedly. _

_ "__I go after them," I said beginning to put on my Brother Hood's distinguishable outfit and leather armor. _

_ "__They're my student's I'm going with you." Shifu said standing up._

_ "__No someone must watch the Palace, in case of a sneak attack or a bandit raid." I replied drapping the hood of my outfit over my head. _

_ "__Fine, but if he is as strong as you say he is how will you take him and his soldiers?" _

_ "__I'll think of something" I replied, strapping my crossbow to its holder on my back. Then I hooked up my sword belt with its various small pouches of daggers, medicine, and other weapons._

_ "__What if you fail?"_

_ "__Then don't come," I began lifting the long bow onto my back, and placing my combat dagger into its sheath next to my empty sword sheath. "If I'm not back in 3 days time assume we are all dead, gather all the warriors and kung fu masters you can find who will fight for China and prepare to face the Shadow Army. I finished putting on the finishing touches, my leather greaves which covered all of my fore arms and had gloves sown in to protect my hands. A little secret was housed inside of each greave, but I had no need to reveal it just yet. _

_Master Shifu sighed as I walked over to the open window and observed the long drop into the village below. _

_ "__Good luck then," Master Shifu said, getting down on his knees and bowing as if he was groveling before a king. "And safe travels Universal Master Bane." _

_ "__Thank you Master Shifu" I said giving him and the extremely shocked and honored Zeng a curt nod. "I will do all in my power to bring them all back safe."_

_Then I jumped out the window, beginning my quick decent. _

POV: No one

_ "__I know you will" Master Shifu said getting back to his feet and picking up his staff. "Zeng, close your mouth or you'll catch a fly."_


	6. Chapter 6

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 6: The Eagle Returns

POV: Tigress/Viper

He had managed to break the others but not me. They were wounded, mentally. He never lifted a finger at them. But now I was taking both the verbal and the physical abuse. And for the first time in many years, it hurt.

_I felt beaten and broken. I thought I was strong, like Tigress, but this man had proven me wrong. All it had taken was a few words of scorn to beat each of us, except for a feisty feline. She was hunched over a just under a meter away, taking countless lashings, just because she wouldn't break. Why did she have to be so strong? Doesn't she know that showing emotion is not weak?_

The physical pain was becoming unbearable, I would have snapped had it not been for a friendly panda shouting words of encouragement my way. To keep resisting. He had the true heart of a warrior; he was broken, but still fought.

_All I could hear were Tigresses' screams of pain, Po's encouragement, and those hateful words being flung in all directions. _

If I could've I would have told Po not to have been so brave, not to stand up for me. Because every time he said something, the whip would find his face. That hurt more than anything this demon could do to me. He was hurting my best friend, the only one that I truly felt anything for.

_Poor Po, why was he doing this to himself? Yes maybe_ _it gave us hope, or told us we shouldn't give up but, what could we do? For the first time in my life, I had lost hope. _

_Then I felt something warm hook my side. Looking above and to my right, I noticed Crane. He had managed to free one wing just enough to pull me in close to him. I must admit I felt some heat run to my cheeks; indeed I had feeling for him. I just wasn't sure what kind of feeling they were. Besides, he already had a crush on a girl right? Isn't that what the hooded man said? His feathers felt warm in the sunlight, and a feeling worked its way into my gut. Looking up at the sky, I got the feeling that I shouldn't be giving up hope just yet. _

I let out a bone chilling scream. That last one hurt the worst, and I prepared myself for the next one.

"Growing tired of the pain Master Tigress?" asked the figure.

"Growing tired of holding the whip weakling?" I countered, before feeling a lasting sting across my back. As I mentally readied myself for another barrage, something tiny caught my eye. A small feather had fallen onto the ground around me, if my head wasn't pounding so much I would have been able to identify the type of bird it belonged to. But for some reason, I felt like all this torment was about to end.

"This is useless," complained the voice from under the hood.

"When did you figure that one out genius?" I insulted, earning a small chuckle from Monkey.

"Let's try someone who will really break, shall we?" the figure said, an evil smile showing from under the hood. Giving a motion to the yellow-eyed guards, they threw me back in line. Only to my horror did they move Po to the front.

"Let's see if the hardcore really does have feelings."

I felt my heart stop. No, anything, anyone but Po.

"No, please, don't harm him or the others." The words came shakily from my mouth.

"Too late," the figure said giving a maniacal laugh.

"Wait!" a small voice cried out from behind.

_After those words left her mouth I knew she truly cared for Po. She only threw in 'others' to hide her true reason for not wanting him to whip Po. She loved us yes, but in situations like these, would never stand up for us. We were taught to take a beating, we've been tortured and interrogated before; that was nothing new. But Tigress would never show weakness like this, especially to an enemy. _

_So I decided not to let him hurt Po, I was going to take one for the team. I wasn't going to let Tigress suffer anymore. _

_ "__Wait," I managed again. _

_ "__Ah, the spunky serpent finally speaks," replied the figure, turning from Po and lowering the whip. "What do you want?" _

_"__I-I…I submit myself, do what you please to me, but don't harm him or the others anymore." _

_ "__Viper what are you doing?" Crane whispered._

_ "__Giving him what he wants," I replied. _

_Crane realized what I meant and whispered hurriedly, "Viper you cannot do that!" _

_ "__Why not?" I asked._

_ "__Because I-" _

_ "__Silence! Anything you say?" interrupted the figure. _

_ "__Anything your _heart_ desires," I replied, spitting the words at him, with a hint of seduction. _

_ "__Hah! The snake thinks she can charm her way out of this!" laughed the figure. "Well I'll tell you something right now _woman_, you're under my control. I do as I please to you pathetic friends, and you shall see tonight I will do what I please to you."_

_ "__You dirty bastard!" Crane shrieked at the top of his lungs. "You don't deserve a woman like Viper!"_

_ "__And you're any better?" asked the hood turning towards Crane. "You have had feelings for her for how long, and haven't had the balls to tell her." _

_ '__What!' my mind screamed. _

_There was a brief pause, eventually broken by Mantis. "Well this is awkward." _

_ "__At least I'm interested in her, and not obsessed over her body." Crane replied smugly. _

_ "__Why you-" _

_ "__And another thing, it's bad you call me a coward. But nobody makes Viper their slut!" Crane shouted while using his free wing to smack the hood off the figure's face. _

_Everyone gasped; underneath the hood was a large cat, similar to Tigress. But it obviously wasn't a tiger._

This was a chance to rally everyone once again. To try and get hopes high enough to escape.

"Eww, what happened to your face?" I taunted. "Did your mama drop you one too many times as a child?" I said giving a sarcastic baby voice for good measure. Everyone, even some of the guards began to laugh. It was kind of a true statement. This 'cat; had a black mist radiating from his body, and his eyes were solid yellow.

"No one makes fun of the power of the Shadow!" he hissed at my face.

"Oh, that's what that is," said Monkey with a laugh. "I thought you hadn't bathed in weeks!" Everyone began to poke fun and take turns messing with their 'host', who frantically tried to get everyone to…

"STOP LAUGHING!" Came the furious voice. "KILL THEM, KILL THEM ALL!" All the guards had stopped laughing. "NOW!"

'_So this was it.' I thought to myself, we were all going to die. There was so much I still wanted to do in my life, take a man to the Winter Festival, settle down, and have a family to carry on my legacy like my father. But I was a warrior trained to accept death when it came, even if it was going to be a little early for my taste.' I never got to give Crane a chance' I thought reluctantly. All this had happened so fast, I still couldn't get over the fact that he loved me._

_ "__Well guys," I heard. I turned to see Po giving a grim smile, which looked like his signature goofy grin, just distorted. "It looks like this is it. We've had a good go." Everyone smiled at him, including myself."Eight months ago isn't very long, but I enjoyed every second of it. Yeah sure you all didn't accept me in the beginning, but look at us now, we're a family." He paused and gave a laugh before continuing. "I first thought meeting you all, my heroes, would only be a fantasy. But instead I became the Dragon Warrior, leader of the greatest kung fu team in all of China. I found out things about myself I never thought I would ever learn. I beat Tai Lung when no one else could, I defeated Shen with his kung fu killing weapon. I found out the girl of my dreams cares about me," he paused and looked at Tigress, all of us became shocked at his words, I had a hunch but it was still a surprise to me. Then he continued, "I found out what happened to my mom. And I found a second family. I just want to thank you all from my heart." I felt tears form in my eyes. "Mantis, I don't care what the others think; your jokes are the best."_

_ "__Thanks big guy." Mantis mustered, after all he was bawling like a baby._

_ "__Monkey, you've not only been my best friend, but a brother to me I could trust with anything." _

_ "__Thank you Po, that means a lot." Monkey replied, wiping a tear from his eye with his tail._

_ "__Crane, you were the first to really accept me. You've helped mentor me and encouraged me when things were hard." _

_ "__Thanks Po." Crane gave a curt nod._

_Then Po turned to me. "Viper, sister, thank you for being there for me. Helping care for me when I was sick or injured and giving advice when I needed it." _

_I could feel the tears begin streak down my face. "T-thank you Po, er I mean brother." _

_Finally he turned to Tigress. "And thank you for giving me a chance." _

_ "__But I didn't-" _

_ "__Yes you did," Po stared at her for a long time, then Tigress inhaled deeply and gave a sharp nod._

_ "__Are we done here?" an impatient voice interrupted. No one moved or said anything. "Good." _

_I could feel the cat's gaze move from my figure to the others one by one. _

_ "__Ax man," a sharp voice rang out. _

_ "__Yes sir?" _

_ "__Let us test your swing. Let's see if you can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." He looked towards Crane and Po. "Those two go first," he said giving a small laugh. _

Those words froze my heart.

_I never thought I would feel my heart stop beating._

I wanted to cry out to tell him to kill me first.

_I was speechless. I wanted to tell him to kill me rather than them, but nothing came out. _

Why was it so hard?

_Why couldn't I let him go?_

I thought one day would come when we would be together.

_But I realized that was just a dream now._

It was over.

_We had lost._

But the hardest thing was….

_The worst part about the whole ordeal was…_

**I would never get to tell him the feelings I have for him!**

They were sitting there facing us. And I could feel their eyes fall on me. The ax man drew his weapon.

"Ready,"

I looked to see their saddened gazes….

"Aim well,"

…one last time.

"Swing!"

The ax dropped and my heart stopped. But before the ax could tear through their necks, I heard a faint whistling followed by a shout, then loud clatter. A small dagger had embedded itself in the ax man's wrist, causing him to drop the ax mid swing. Now screaming bloody murder the ax man fell to the ground as another dagger dug its way into his right foot. Who ever had thrown those daggers had precise and deadly accuracy and skill.

_Once the ax man had fallen to the ground I noticed the daggers in his wrist and foot. Him being a rhino and having thick armor, the daggers were thrown with pin point accuracy. I squinted my eyes to get a closer look the daggers, which had a familiar pattern and shape to them. 'I've seen those before, I just cannot-wait! I remember now! Those belong to-" _

_ "__Almar! Let them go!" a heavily accented voice shouted. _

_ "__Bane?" _


	7. Chapter 7

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks! **

**Oh and a shout out to Darknight1013 and Simba593 for their valuable comments. ****J ****Please continue to comment and maybe I'll give you a shout out as well. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 7: Torture

POV: No one

"Bane?" Viper whispered quietly to herself.

"Let the go Almar!" the voice from below shouted.

"You're…..You're alive?!" Almar shouted, beginning to panic. "I-I thought we killed you crossing the Himalayas!" Turning to his guard he gave a quiet order. "Quickly take those two and put them back in line with the others," Almar said pointing to Crane and Po.

"Yes, you should know by now you cannot get rid of me that easy," stated the newcomer for the lower courtyard.

"Indeed, well I must say I'm surprised."

"Yes you could say that, old friend."

POV: Po

One of the guards gave me a big heave and threw me in between a very happy Tigress and a zoning Viper. After managing to convince Tigress I was fine, I turned to Viper who seemed out of it.

"What's wrong Vi?" I asked.

"I think that person below is Bane," she whispered.

"You mean that guy we found in the rain?"

"Yeah."

"How would you know?" I questioned, looking at the figure. He was wearing a white over coat with a hood. The hood was trimmed with a lighter silver fabric. The white coloring signified that those who saw him were most likely about to meet an early end. It stretched down from the hood and covered all the way to his shins. Below that were leather boots, held on by six straps, which came up just below his knees. Tied around his waist was a red sash, red is a universal warrior color meaning he kills opponents. Even though he had the over coat one could tell he was wearing a tight but well-fitted armor, possibly leather, which made him look slightly bigger to the eye. A leather strap came diagonally from his right shoulder and tied into a leather belt. The belt held various pouches, most likely carrying assorted weapons and tools. Just above his left shoulder a handle-grip was visible, a trained eye could note that this was a new and expensive crossbow. Slung across his opposite shoulder was the draw-string of a longbow, another deadly weapon, certainly there was a quiver of arrows and crossbow bolts somewhere on his person as well. Finally was his sword belt, which contained two sheathes. One contained a small, approximately six inch blade and the other larger sheathe was empty.

"You see those daggers over there?" Viper said pointing to the ax man who had finally extracted the throwing knives.

"Yes," I said indicating I had seen them.

"Well, Bane woke up during one of my shifts, we talked and he claimed that he was a warrior. As proof he drew a dagger and showed it to me; those daggers there have the exact shape and design as the one he showed me." Viper explained.

"Yes but when Master Shifu told us to search him we didn't find anything on his person. Especially gear like that guy has there." I pointed out, and giving a nod in the newcomer's direction.

"Even though, call it a extra sense, but I'm sure this 'warrior' is Bane." Viper said with the most confidence.

I let out a defeated sigh and turned back to spectacle that was unfolding before us.

POV: No one.

"I'll give you one last chance, let Shifu's students go! They are not part of our quarrel!" The white robed figure said.

"Or else what?" asked Almar with a nervous laugh.

"You're the one that asked." The newcomer said, with a cocky grin.

The newcomer dropped to a knee, drawing his longbow at the same time. He drew a arrow and fired it at one of the archers along the walls of the courtyard. After a precise and deadly shot the warrior, drew and fired shafts repeatedly at the enemy archers who began to drop one by one.

"Shoot him!" Almar yelled at the remaining archers. "Somebody shoot him!"

The order was given too latte as the last of the 50 archers dropped, meeting a quick demise. Looking around for a idea Almar noticed his guards, which he began to bark orders at.

"Quickly! Surround the man, and overwhelm him!" he commanded.

Taking his orders to heart, his men surrounded the opponent, all 200 of them. One hundred surrounded him in the courtyard, while the others took to the walls allowing no escape. Swords and spears drawn the soldiers waited for their next order. Their opponent calmly dropped his bow, and drew a throwing knife along with his longer combat dagger.

"Oh no," Viper whispered. "He doesn't stand a chance Po."

"I dunno sis, he just took out 50 archers in less time than it takes for me to inhale dumpling." (Less than a minute for those who don't know Po J)

"We have to help him," Viper said in a hushed voice as she began to struggle with her shackles.

"I'd love to Viper but we're in a predicament of our own here." Po said looking at his acupuncture cuffs.

Before Viper could reply, a voice rang out, laced with fear. "Why don't you give up you damned warrior of fire? Haven't you seen what happens to those around you when you continue to resist? They perish in unimaginable ways!"

"They only die because of you! You shadow from hell!" counted the surrounded warrior.

"That's it! No one yells at Almar like that! Kill him! And bring me his head on a platter." Almar commanded at his soldiers.

From their position in the upper courtyard the Five and Po could see the warrior brace himself before a wall of wolves came crashing into him. The warriors could only look on at the conflict below, wishing they could be down there helping this heroic warrior in white. The newcomer had immense speed and an ability to jump 4 feet straight into the air. He was so quick he would be in one spot, then in less than the blink of an eye he would be 6 feet away, with several wolfs lying dead behind him.

"I've seen that speed before," Tigress whispered to Po.

"Yeah, Maybe Viper's right." Po whispered to Tigress.

"About what Po?"

"She thinks that, that guy down there is Bane. The guy we saved 5 days ago. Remember the only person to beat you in a spar?"

"How could I forget?" Tigress hissed back.

Before Po could ask why she was upset a pain filled cry came from below. Looking down, the Five and Po could see the white hooded figure drop to his knees, holding his shoulder.

Seizing their chance the few remaining wolfs pounced, pinning the injured warrior to the ground. Before he could retaliate, they shackled him to a wall opposite the courtyard containing Almar, the Five, and Po.

"Hahaha! I cannot believe it! You've defeated more warriors then that. What, have you not recovered fully from our last encounter?" Almar laughed gleefully.

"No, I'm just out of shape," replied a pained voice.

Walking over to the white cloaked figure Almar, drew his sword. Almar then proceeded to whisper evilly into the newcomer's ear. "They don't know who you are, do they?"

"No, they don't," the figure spat back.

"Then allow me to shed some light on the situation!" Almar yelled out loud enough for everyone to hear, while yanking the hood off the shackled figure. Underneath was Bane, just as Viper had predicted. His eyes raged with anger, but the rest of his face showed unimaginable pain.

"Let him go!" Viper cried defiantly.

"You don't get it do you?" Almar yelled at the snake. "You haven't figured out who this is?"

"What are you talking about?" Po yelled taking up for Viper. "We just met the guy, all we know is he's a traveler, I mean that's how he got to Jade Palace right?"

"Then allow me to explain more about your new 'acquaintance'. " Almar said looking at Bane, as he struggled to free himself. "This man is no mere traveler Dragon Warrior, he is the host of the Eagle Fire." Almar began.

Noticing the confused looks of the warriors, Almar decided to explain further. "I see, you have no clue what I'm talking about. Let me explain from the beginning. Years before your precious Master Oogway was born, there were three men who were given gifts from the gods; The Holy Fires. Each contained the spirit of a legendary beast. These beasts were the Dragon, the Phoenix, and the Eagle of course. These three warriors underwent a special mental training which allowed the Fires to bond with their spirits. After which they were able to create a new style of combat, known as your precious kung fu." Almar paused as the Five and Po gasped before continuing. "The Fires allowed the warriors to perform miracles; being able to know everything, having unlimited strength, being endlessly youthful. Some even claim that these warriors could enter the spirit world. Eventually after years of practice the three warriors mastered every style of kung fu. To a point where everyone began to call them Universal Masters, the ones who bridged the gap between gods and mortals."

"So what does this all have to deal with him?" Crane asked, being the curious type.

"You still haven't figured it out?" Almar asked amazed. "I thought by now you would have figured it out, especially you Master Crane."

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked growing impatient.

"Your comrade here is one of the Masters." Almar said giving a knowing smirk. All six of his prisoners' jaws dropped open. Was he telling the truth? He had to be; no one could defeat so many soldiers in such a short time, or have that kind of mind boggling speed.

"That's not possible," Crane interjected. "I think I remember reading a scroll on that; they existed over 1000 years ago. There is no way they could still be alive."

"Of course! How could I be so dumb as to over look that detail?" Almar said with a sarcastic look. "As you all know Master Oogway was born 500 years ago, so that means the Masters would have all died before his time. But Master Crane I bet your scroll forgot to mention that one of them taught Master Oogway everything he knew."

"But that's not possible; they still all would have died before being able to teach him." Tigress said becoming confused.

"Not if one of them had the gift of endless youth; the ability to live forever." Almar said eyeballing Bane.

Bane gave a defeated sigh before looking to the ground.

"So," Almar said to Bane. "How old are you turning this year, 1011? 1016? I cannot keep track."

"1019 you idiot," Bane spat out defiantly.

"Ah yes, but you can only be killed by a weapon can't you?" Almar said admiring his sword.

"Yes but you don't know the cond-"

"I don't care about the conditions! Legend says that you can only die of a blade, not of sickness or age." Almar said getting closer to Bane's face. "And let me tell you, you won't live past tonight."

Before Bane could respond Almar plunged the blade deep into his chest, right where Bane's heart would be. Bane let out a cry that shook the courtyard, and caused the six captives to shudder.

"You coward!" shouted Tigress.

"You bastard!" screeched Viper.

"And you called me a coward!" hollered Crane.

"You have no honor!" bellowed Po.

"Disgraceful!" Monkey hooted.

"Pussy!" screamed Mantis.

"Silence! You don't understand I can end you all like this pathetic sap." Hissed Almar, while he yanked the blade in different directions. Bane let out more agonizing screams, coughing up blood with every breath. Almar laughed as he pulled the now crimson blade from Bane's chest. The Five and Dragon Warrior could only look on in horror as Bane let out a few sputtering coughs, before his body went slack.

"And behold, the Eagle is no more." Almar said letting his blade clatter to the floor.

"You monster!" Viper screamed, trying to struggle free of her chains. She was the closest to Bane out of all the others. For the few moments she had known him, Viper had figured Bane as a nice man. Someone who cared for others, someone who had touched her heart. But this man had tried to save her and her friends; and he paid the ultimate price.

"Now where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted?" Almar began. "I believe two of you were about to end up like your friend over there; just a bit more off the top."

Everyone hung their heads, their rescuer had been killed and soon they would join him among the stars. Viper felt that she had lost a new friend. Po felt like he had failed his duty as Dragon Warrior, for not protecting his fellow Master and soon it would be Masters. Tigress felt like she had failed at protecting her comrades, she was not so upset by Bane's death, only because she never got to know him very well. To Monkey and Mantis, Bane's death seemed to leave a bitter taste in their mouths. For them Bane was another warrior they never knew too well, who had died in their defense. And finally there was Crane, who was the only one to truly understand the loss. He knew that if Bane was one of the legendary Masters; there would have been so much they could've learned from him.

Before a endless despair set upon the warriors, a very light coughing came from behind Almar, followed by a voice. "Don't lose hope friends, things aren't as bad as they seem."

"No! How are you still alive!?"

"You should have done your homework Almar," replied a dangerously low voice.


	8. Chapter 8

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 8: Freedom

POV: No one

"How!? I saw you die before my eyes!" Almar screeched.

"Like I said earlier; you can only kill me in _combat_. If you try to kill me out side of combat, my body goes into a sleep mode until it heals itself enough for me to continueliving normally." Bane growled.

In a fear-filled frenzy Almar picked up his sword, then jabbed it into Bane's chest again. Maybe he was hoping that this time he would kill Bane, or perhaps he was trying to prove Bane had actually died and he was hallucinating. Bane cried out in agony as the blade pierced his chest again, and then he began to laugh darkly.

"You shouldn't have done that." Bane said in a low voice. Twisting his right arm and giving a strong yank Bane pulled one of the shackles straight out of the wall. "Now if I were you Almar, I would run now."

Crying out in fear Almar began to run back towards the Five and Po, along the way ordering his guards to either: 'Do something!' or 'Stop him you fools!' By the time Almar had reached the upper courtyard, Bane had pulled his other arm free, and one of his feet.

"Kill him! Don't let him escape, if he does we will all perish!" shouted Almar, fear rising in his voice. Almar's guards scrambled at his commands; some took to the walls to prevent escape and others surrounded the barely-chained warrior.

Pulling his last leg free, Bane gave a cocky smile. "Really Almar? How many times have you tried that plan? And how many of those times have you failed?"

Slamming into the soldiers head on, Bane easily crippled, killed, or knocked out those who surrounded him. Leaping up onto the walls Bane began to charge towards the upper courtyard which housed Almar and his fellow warriors.

"Stop him!" screamed Almar. "STOP HIM!"

Bane latched on to the nearest wolf guard, spun him around and thrust him into the next guard standing behind him. Using their bodies as a spring board Bane jumped and drew his crossbow, firing a bolt* into the next wolf. As the wolf fell, the two shadow guards remaining jumped to fill their fallen comrade's spot. Bane rolled to their right, then bashed the closest one in the stomach with the front of his bow. Reeling over from the blow the Shadow's head became unprotected, allowing Bane to bring a open palm thrust down on its head. This only stunned the creature of darkness that swung his arm around slamming Bane in the jaw. Picking himself off the ground Bane looked at the shadows sizing them up. Leaping into the air Bane landed on the head of one of the 7 foot tall monsters, and used the creatures' own stupidity against themselves. Trying to get Bane off his partner's head, the other creature swung his arm down trying to crush the Master between his fist and his comrade's head. Just what Bane had wanted; jumping from the creature's head Bane allowed the shadow's fist to bash into the head he had been on. The shadow let out a screech then disintegrated into a dark purplish black mist. Giving a satisfied look Bane turned t the last shadow, the last obstacle between him and closure for all of Almar's years of terrible deeds. Hastily going through a technique sequence and murmuring words only audible to himself; Bane open force palmed the creature. An ear-splitting screech rang out among the courtyards, as the shadow exploded in a green light.

"That…..was…AWSOME!" Po cheered.

Bane turned with a smile then looked at Almar. "It's just you and me now."

Almar backed himself up till he was hiding behind his prisoners.

"Don't worry," Bane said, walking over towards the Five , Po, and Almar. "It will be over quickly."

Flicking his wrists, Bane drew two secret blades from his greaves. Lunging at Almar's shuddering figure Bane plunged the blades into his heart and forehead. Almar began to struggle weakly under Bane's weight.

"May death cleanse the darkness from your spirit, and may you find closure among the stars." Bane spoke in a somber tone. "Rest in peace….old friend."

Giving one last shudder Almar let out his last breath, his eyes frozen on the sky behind Bane. Being respectful Bane took his fingers and closed Almar's eyes.

Slowly Bane got up and turned his attention to the Five and Dragon Warrior. All six warrior's wore looks of shock.

"Let's get you out of these chains," Bane said beginning to work on Viper's shackles.

"You just killed him….why?" asked Viper, still staring at the lifeless corpse.

"I had given him too many chances for reform," Bane said plainly. "After 200 years, it was time to end his mistake of joining the Shadows." Breaking off one of Viper's shackles before continuing, "Once you willingly give yourself to darkness, it is impossible to change. You won't even be able to stop yourself from harming those you care about."

"Not that this is totally cool and we're in the presence of one of the greatest warriors of all time and all but….was he your friend at one point?" interrupted Po. "I mean, you both called each other old friends."

"Yes, Almar was a student of mine and a close friend. He was one of the Brothers; a group of warriors founded to fight the Shadows and protect the innocent." Bane explained finally freeing Viper. "Now, help me with the others." He instructed to the small snake.

"So everything almar said about you is true," Tigress spoke aloud. "You're one of the Masters that brought kung fu to the physical world and showed Master Oogway how to use and instruct it."

"Yes," Bane began working on Crane's cuffs. "Dragon, Phoenix, and I were the bridge between the gods and the physical world. We did our best to protect what they created in exchange for the ultimate gifts the gods could provide us with. But now I'm the only one who remains," Bane paused to pull apart the last shackle with pure strength. "And I'm failing to keep the evil Shadows at bay. They are slowly corrupting and taking over, destroying every symbol of good and hope in their path." Bane finished while pulling Crane free.

"Sounds to me you could use help," Po said finally free thanks to Viper. "We could help you fight these 'Shadows'."

"I appreciate our optimism Dragon Warrior but-"

"No buts, you helped us now we help you." Po stated firmly.

"Need I remind you they only captured you because of me," Bane said pulling Tigress free in one motion.

"No," Tigress interjected. "If these creatures are destroying symbols of hope and good, then we were already a target. In China we are one of the major symbols of hope, good, and truth so it would be pure tactics to target us first. It's what I would do if I were an evil dictator; destroy the people's symbol of hope."

Bane let out a defeated sigh. "True. And even if I didn't want your help, you would still have to help yourselves."

"What do you mean?" Monkey asked finally free.

"I mean the entire Shadow army is on their way to take over China. They already have the rest of the world under their control; China is all that's left."

"Well we've delft with problems like Shen and Tai Lung before, how bad could an army be?" Mantis asked.

"Much tougher than you can imagine." Bane said beginning to walk towards the gates.

"How so?" asked Po "I mean we're the Dragon Warrior and Furious Five, no one can beat us." Po said with confidence.

"Come we have much to discuss." Bane said plainly, not turning to face the others.

**Sorry about the rushed chapter and ending to the chapter everyone. But I wanted to get out one more chapter before I go on vacation. Right now I'm caught on finishing some large summer assignments before I go. Perhaps if I have time I'll be able to get another one in. Don't' worry I'll only be gone a week so I'll probably be able to get a couple of chapters in before school starts up again. After that chapters will appear when I have the free time. Thank you all for reading so far, and I hope you all continue to follow me. **

**Best regards, **

**TheOriginalStory**

**P.S. For those who want PoxTi or VixCr, don't worry, they'll become more frequent as the story continues. And I have a few surprises for you all involving them as well…you'll just have to read to find out. ) (Some coming next chapter)**

***Bolt- refers to the ammunition for crossbows. Many confuse more flimsy arrows for the sturdy-er bolts, that allow cleaner more precise shots.**


	9. Chapter 9

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 9: Awkward Walk

POV: No one

Every one of the warriors had spaced themselves out away from one another. Most were concerned of what their comrades thought about them, thanks to Almar's loose lips. The only two in the group trying to converse with anyone was the normally good-spirited panda and cocky 'man'. Most of their efforts were met by 'not now's' or mumbling, or even various expressions resembling embarrassment and shame. After what seemed ages the duo managed to bring everyone close enough to listen to Bane as he filled them in on what he had previously discussed with Shifu. Everyone listened in less enthusiastic ways, still self conscious. All except for Po, who absorbed every word, as if trying to gain some sort of wisdom from Bane's words. After Bane finished filling the others in with what he had discussed with Shifu, everyone minus Po, retreated a bit trying to avoid each others' gazes. Po on the other hand began to barrage their new fellow master with various questions.

"Oooh! Are you so good at Kung Fu you could lift a mountain? Since you contain the spirit of an Eagle can you fly? Could you teach me how to fly? What was that move you did back at the fort?...You know the one that made that monster go ka-pow? Could you show it to me again? Who were Dragon and Phoenix? What were they like? What happened to them? How did they die? Do you like noodle soup cause I-" Po was silenced with a hand and a light chuckle.

"Slow down big guy, I'll answer all your questions if you give me enough time. As for now I have a question for you," replied Bane in a calm voice.

"Sure Master Bane," Po replied enthusiastically.

"Please Po, no need for formalities; call me Bane or friend or brother, whatever you like."

"Really? Sweeeeet," Po said giving a tiny dance.

Bane turned to Po, but did not break his pace. "Now I have to ask: What did Almar say to you and your friends? I know he had loose lips, and was notorious for toying with the minds of his captives. I should know; he and I had quite the history."

Po shifted uncomfortably at this and hesitated before replying, "He gave us the usual 'you all are going to die here' rant and that was about all."

"Hmmmm, that is unlike him. But I sense you are not telling the truth."

"Whaaaaat, me not tell the truth? C'mon I'm the Dragon Warrior, I don't lie."

"Everyone lies when they are hiding something they don't want anyone to learn Po," Bane said plainly before giving a laugh. "Besides do you think you can lie to someone who is over 1000 years old? I've heard them all Po."

Po let out a defeated sigh and gave a understanding nod. Po looked at the ground, appearing to be collecting his thoughts and nerves for what he was about to say.

"When we were captured, Almar spewed out all our darkest and deepest secrets at us. It's like he knew our fears and what we were ashamed of. He made us feel low and degraded to a point where we didn't want to fight or live anymore."

"Now that sounds like Almar," Bane said with a grim expression.

"But it got worse," Po continued "Not only did he got some of us to admit things we really didn't want to or were not ready to."

"Such as?"

"I don't want to say," Po said turning away.

"Love perhaps?"

Po turned to the Master with a slightly shocked 'how did you know expression?' on.

"Come on Po. Did you really think I didn't know? I mean I certainly know when a guy is looking at a girls butt; he's into her," Bane said giving Po a tiny elbow and wink. Po could only turn red at the comment. "That and its quite obvious you care for her…..Tigress I mean."

Trying to change the subject to a less embarrassing topic Po began."All that's cool and stuff Bane but, the real issue is; how are we gonna get the team back together? I mean, it's kinda awkward to be around each other after our secrets have been exposed!" Po said throwing his arms into the air. Feeling a firm hand on his shoulder Po turned to see Bane's eyes meet directly with his.

"Give them time Po. Everyone will come back together eventually. After all, you all are a family."

Po gave his signature grin then replied, "Yeah a family of awesomeness!"

Bane smiled then turned back towards the direction they were headed. Listening to the dirt and pebbles crunch under their feet, the warriors engaged in a momentary silence. Most admiring the landscape, since there was hardly anything else to do. After a few moments of silence Bane decided to try his luck at bringing everyone back together.

"So Po I guess you're wondering why I'm really here?" Bane said, raising his voice to attract his attention of the scattered others.

Po, noticing the others' reactions understood what he was doing and played along, "Yeah I kinda was. You know me; the curious type."

Looking around Po noticed that Monkey was sneaking glances at him and Bane. Mantis pretended not to be interested but had hopped closer towards them. Viper began to hum suspiciously to herself, and slither a little closer. Tigress' ears seemed to turn slightly in their direction. Crane had started to fly a little lower.

'I guess we all have been kinda wondering' thought Po to himself.

"I've come to find Dragon and Phoenix," Bane said.

"What!?" Po exclaimed, while silent gasps were heard from behind them. "I thought you said they were dead."

"Yes they are….but the fires aren't. I received a prophecy recently saying that two new people will take their place, long enough to defeat the darkness."

"Really? Who are they?"

"I dunno yet. All I know is the prophecy; I've been able to decode a small bit of it. The Prophecy is;

The Eagle has been chased from his nest, wounded and lonely.

He is all that is left of a old legacy.

Once again the Darkness moves,

Performing evil on the way.

Two warriors will fill the footsteps of previous heroes.

As secrets and loves and heroes become revealed death will follow.

As heroes must know,

They must accept death row.

A family will lose a father.

And a daughter will be without one.

As Darkness falls on floors of Jade,

The world must watch as heroes of a nation,

Die and fall for freedom.

If Phoenix and Dragon don't return,

They world you know will end."

Po seemed to think for a moment, curling his bottoms lip to the side. "Hmmm. All I know is that prophecy sounds bad. I mean the last line seems to be talking about the end of the world."

"Yes it is Po. But here's what else I've discovered. Dragon and Phoenix are dead so they cannot return obviously. After their deaths I took their Fires and placed them in a sealed tomb here in China, along with their bodies. The only thing that is a possibility is someone or someone's can handle bonding with their Fires."

"What do you mean by 'bonding with their Fires'?" Po asked becoming intrigued. Everyone else seemed to take a big step towards the two.

"Well when Dragon, Phoenix, and I got our powers we absorbed a universal energy called a Holy Fire. These 'Fires' contained the spirits of creatures and immense power. In order to absorb the powers we had to let these 'Fires' bond to our soul. We were told that if the Fires did not deem us worthy ; they would destroy us, both physically, mentally and spiritually."

"So wait, you guys decided to risk being destroyed for special powers?"

"Yes, we were young and stupid."

"How did you come across these Fires?"

"We saved a god in a physical form; he was being attacked by bandits. None of us knew how to properly fight other than swing a sword but we managed it somehow."

"That's so awesome! Oh! And one last thing, what do you mean by destroyed spiritually?"

"I mean your ever-lasting soul is destroyed too. Once your everlasting soul is destroyed, you no longer exist in the physical world or the spirit world."

Po's jaw dropped, "You mean all traces of you vanish?"

"Well not all things, clothes possessions, and memories remain of you. But yes other than that you're totally gone."

"Darn, that's a little harsh."

Bane gave a laugh, "Yes but it prevents cowards from trying to steal the Fires and people from using their powers for evil."

"Yeah I could see why. But Bane, how do you know if these new Dragon and Phoenix are here in China? Haven't you traveled all over the world?"

"Yes I have, and the reason I know is the rest of the world is consumed by darkness."

"But how will you know who is Dragon and who is Phoenix?"

"I have a way, do not worry Po. After being alive for so long you eventually have ways of finding things out," Bane said with a chuckle. Bane turned away from Po and looked to his rear. Behind him was the Furious Five, all hunched together not even a foot away from him. "Ah, glad to see you all together again. I assume you all have gotten over your embarrassment?"

Everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably. They hadn't anticipated on getting so close to one another after suffering such embarrassment at the hands of a lunatic, that and they were still wondering what the other thought about them. A lot of different things had happened, some that could possibly change their lives forever.

Tigress was the first to speak, "Yes Universal Master Bane, we are ready and willing to do what you command." Her voice was in a firm and strong way, as she kneeled before him.

"Like I said to Po Tigress, formalities are not required," he said offering her his hand.

Tigress accepted his hand and rose to her feet, 'Indeed Master, er I mean Bane. It was just the way I was raised."

"Indeed Tigress."

Tigress looked as if she might say something, looked, saw Po and then decided not to. There was another short pause before anyone said anything. The Valley and Palace were now coming into view as the group crossed over the hill top. Bane gave all the warriors a quick glance over and noticed something was off about a certain female tiger.

"Tigress, what is troubling you?" As quick as Bane could ask a reply was given.

"Nothing is the matter Bane."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

Bane let out a sigh. He knew what was bothering Tigress, he could sense her pain. He knew what she was thinking about: her parents. He had heard what Almar had said to all six of them while he was trying to pick the front gate lock. It was truly a shame, and yet it seemed that a second thing was bothering her. It seemed related to Po due to her hesitation to talk while Po was nearby. Shrugging it off Bane let his thoughts race. He hadn't told them all hardly anything about himself yet. So many important things needed to be discussed, so little time. As they began their climb up the steps of the Palace Bane had two friends on his mind. Years ago on his last visit to China, how he had made friends with the king and queen of the south. His two friends King Quon* and Queen Lian*, they were good people. They were Tigress' parents. The only thing that ran through his mind as he passed through the Palace doors was. 'How could they be dead?'

* * *

**Quon- Chinese means bright, shining. **

**Lian- Chinese means-graceful willow.**


	10. Chapter 10

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

* * *

Chapter 10: Family Secrets

POV: No one

No one could sleep that night. For those who were lucky enough to fall asleep their dreams were graced with disturbing nightmares. The barracks were full of tossing and turning warriors, all but a snoring panda of course. It seemed that even after terrible humiliation at the hands of a villain could not prevent the panda from sleeping just fine. Everyone else on the other hand was deep in their own nightmarish realities. Most of such realities were laced with meanings from their terrifying capture.

Tigress rolled over and over again, as a child she had always had nightmares but eventually they had gone away. Now she was once again deep in a nightmare that seemed to have plagued her ever since Gongmen also add in the previous day's happenings and you have a recipe for dream disaster. Thoughts and dreams raced though her head and before they seemed to spiral out of control she sat up in bed letting out a little gasp. She looked about the room, remembering where she was, and then laid back down in her bed. She could hear Po's loud snoring through the thin walls and hear the moans of her friends from their nightmares. The air had a sickly, vomit-like smell. Possibly one of the Five got so worried they got sick. Right now Tigress didn't care, she had so much on her mind that she couldn't possibly care if she wanted to. Questions raced through her mind and no matter how hard she tried she could not find an answer to any of them.

Tigress wiped the cold sweat from her head and sat on the side of her bed. She stared at the thin wall which separated her room from Viper's. From Tigresses' position she could see Viper squirm in her sleep. "No! No, I refuse to stoop to such low acts! I….I will not be yours….I refuse to submit!" Tigress felt a small twinge in her heart. Viper was a sister to her and to see her compassionate friend be so afraid from a dream was just unbearable.

Getting up out of her bed Tigress decided that if she couldn't sleep she would train. This was her usual way of handling nightmares, ever since she was a small child. Sliding her bedroom door open slowly not to make any noise Tigress began to creep down the corridor that lead towards the Training Hall. As she snuck down the hall hear silent steps were covered even more by Po's snoring. She was almost to the end of the hall when a small creak came from under her foot. She gave a wincing face but made no noise, hoping that no one had heard her. After a few moments of waiting Tigress slid open the door quietly then moved swiftly into the cool nighttime air.

Unbeknownst to Tigress a set of green eyes had been awake all night, listening to all that was happening that night. He had heard the floor creak and had seen her shadow leave. It was only natural for a warrior of his stature to investigate. Slipping open his door and gliding down the hall he followed Tigress out into the cool summer night.

* * *

Tigress took a moment to pause and enjoy the night air taking in a deep breath. Usually she wasn't one to enjoy nature however nights like these seemed so; soothing. The Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom rustled in the night's gentle breeze while the stars and full moon lit up the sky. Tigress noticed that there was no cloud in the sky and that every star that night seemed to glow brighter than usual, like a freshly polished vase. Tigress could not help but give a faint smile at such a spectacle before turning to push open the doors to the Training Hall.

Tigress once had made it into the Training Hall she lit two torches to light a small portion of the large room. She had picked up and placed the Adversary in the sparing ring and began to perform several combat sequences in its direction. She pretended that the dummy was a real opponent and began to block and counter, every so often parrying and switching to a new side of the dummy. Then threw all her strength into a vicious haymaker towards the back of the dummy's' head, but the punch never connected. Instead a figure had caught her punch open handed. Tigress tensed for a moment while the loud boom echoed through the room; she wasn't used to people sneaking up on her especially during her 'night time' sessions.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" asked a concerned voice. Stepping into the torch light Bane appeared. He wasn't wearing his armor or cloak. Instead he was wearing cotton made shorts with silk embroidery. The shorts were dyed black and had a green flaming eagle embroidered onto one side. His upper body was exposed revealing a built upper body. His green eyes danced as if they contained fire within them.

Tigress could only stare for a moment then regained her composer before answering. "I couldn't sleep so I came here to train." Tigress turned away from the Master as he let go of her trapped paw.

"Worried like the others?" he asked.

"What?"

"I said are you worried like the others? You know, about how everyone feels about one another after Almar revealing all your deepest secrets?"

"Oh! Yes I guess you could say that."

"It's not that is it?" Tigress didn't say a thing. "It's about something else isn't it?"

"No," Tigress said without hesitation.

"Come now Tigress you cannot lie to me, must I remind you that I know as much about you as Almar does?"

Tigress turned towards Bane, "Oh really? And how would you know such things about me?"

Bane took a second to think before continuing. Sighing in defeat Bane sat down in a lotus position. "Perhaps it is time you know the truth Tigress." Bane said motioning for her to sit down next to him.

"Know the truth about what?" Tigress asked with a small snarl.

"The truth about you and the truth about your parents." Bane said giving her a hard stare.

Tigresses' ears flattened against hear head. "My, my parents?" she asked in a softer voice.

"Yes, now please, sit."

Tigress sat in a lotus position next to Bane. She gave Bane a suspicious look as if she was interrogating a criminal. "How do you know my parents?"

"Allow me to show you," Bane said, looking at Tigress with a mysterious expression. Before Tigress could react Bane grabbed her and placed one firm hand on her right shoulder and one on her forehead. Tigress tried to struggle, but everything began to turn dark and cold. Bane began to hush her, "shhhh relax Tigress. Clear your mind."

Tigress felt as if she was floating through a dark and cold night sky. She tried to speak but could not open her mouth. 'What the hell is this?!' Her mind screamed.

"You are in a 'vision-scape'. It is a gift that the three Fires allow us to use. With this ability I can show a person their past memories or distant future." Bane's voice boomed around her.

'Well you could have warned me _before_ putting through this. Where am I anyways?'

"_We're_ in your subconscious. That is why you can talk just by thinking. Now back to the matter at hand." Tigress could see a picture forming in front of her. She could hear faint noises and voices. In the back of her head she could hear Bane begin to speak.

"Do you remember this place?" He asked her.

Tigress looked around; she could see she was on a hill overlooking a grassy meadow. Off in the distance to her right was a large city. The ocean was visible on the horizon behind the towering buildings.

"I…I think…I think I do. It feels real familiar, like a old dream or-"

"A memory." Bane interrupted.

Before Tigress could respond she heard voices behind her. Tigress couldn't move, as if a supernatural force had control of her bodily functions.

"Ah there she is Tigra, there is your mother," spoke a strong deep voice. Looking up Tigress could see a strong tiger and realized that she was being held by him. Tigress noticed her small paws and realized that she was in an infant's body. Correction: she was in her infant body.

'This must all be a memory' she thought to herself.

"Indeed it is Tigress." Bane's voice came from nowhere. "These people are your parents."

"My….my parents?" Tigress asked with a tiny, gentle voice.

"Yes, your parents were good people. They always had you in their thoughts and everything they did was for you. "

"There is my beautiful daughter!" Tigress watched as a beautiful tiger around 20-30 years old pick her up. "And how are we today?" she asked with a happy smile.

"Goo!" a baby Tigress responded.

Tigress began to observe her mother and father. Her father was tall and handsome. He wore clothes similar to her warrior outfit, but his were for a full-sized man. He also wore a purple sash which held a sword to his waist. He looked like a fierce warrior king, yet strangely a warm and kind aura seemed to be coming from him. His eyes were so alike hers that the resemblance was uncanny. Her mother was fairly a half foot shorter, yet was taller than most women. She wore a purple silk dress and gold necklaces'. Her dress had no sleeves, instead she wore gold bands around he exposed wrists. On her head was a small gold tiara that almost resembled a halo. Her face seemed to be a replica of Tigress except for the patch of fur around her mouth was white. Also her eyes looked as if they were made of ice, but within them Tigress noticed a small dim orange flame. Tigress blinked to make sure that she was seeing this and looked at her mother one last time but the flames had disappeared. The two had the same warm, comforting smiles and Tigress could feel tears forming in her eyes. These were her parents. If only she could talk to them. After a few moments Tigress saw a figure drop from a tree behind her parents. She wanted to scream 'look out' but nothing came out.

"Ah," said Tigresses' father turning toward the figure. "Here comes your uncle darling."

The figure calmly walked up the hill towards the trio. As he reached the two Tigress could see he was wearing a cloak that was light brown with a dark green hood and cape. He had a light green yellow silk sash around his waist which secured a straight sword from a different land. He was wearing armor underneath the cloak. The man's smile could be seen from under the hood. His hands lifted the hood from his face and Tigress could only gasp at the face.

'Bane!'

"Yes Tigress, your parents and I were good friends for years."

"May I?" asked the Bane in the dream.

"Of course," replied Tigresses' mother as she gently handed the infant Tigress to Bane.

Bane gave her a warm smile and seemed to look her over.

"Goo!" yipped the baby tiger.

"She's very alert for a child of her age. She will be a fine women and quite a looker too." Bane said with a smile returning Tigress to her father's hands. "She will make an excellent queen of southern China."

'What?!' Tigress screamed out in her mind.

"Yes, your father had become king of southern China. He was originally a freedom fighter trying to rid the south of the evil ruler there. I met him and helped him over through the south's dictator. Soon we became good friends and he asked me to be his commander of his armies. You of course were next in line for the throne." There was a pause. "But it never happened."

The picture faded slowly and began to change into something new. A large room decorated appeared; delicious aromas wafted through the air. There was a large ornate table sitting in the center. The table and room were covered in various expensive carvings and paintings. The room itself reminded Tigress of Shen's father's throne room back in Gongmen, minus all the pictures and carvings of tigers. Looking to the left of the room was a set of sliding doors which lead to a balcony over-looking the city. It was later in the night and the stars were completely visible. Tigress could see her father watching the people walk on the streets below him from his position on the balcony; he held a glass of red wine in his hands. Tigress also saw her mom sitting on a chair on the balcony holding a 3 year old sleeping Tigress in her lap. Last but not least Tigress could see Bane leaning against a railing, staring at the stars, and holding a glass of red liquid as well. Tigress could tell she was no longer getting a first person view of what was happening, but she was close enough to listen and read facial expressions.

"Please my friend, I beg you to reconsider," her father began still facing the streets.

"You know that I cannot stay in one place too long without drawing too much unwanted attention." Bane said swirling the wine in his glass.

"Yes I'm aware that you are the sole survivor of the three Universal Masters and that Shadow wants you destroyed. But the royal guards can take care of any danger to you." Quon argued.

"I'm afraid your guards would only be able to delay any attempts on my life. Shadow has powerful allies and he himself could easily take care of your entire army and me." Bane said turning and staring off at the ocean.

"Bane you are a good friend to me, you helped me liberate these oppressed people; you're a hero to them and they would die to protect you!"

"I refuse to let innocent people die to protect me."

"I see you are concerned for my people but the Shadows will not find you here in my city. Please stay with me and my family. The war killed off many of my old friends and you are one of the few who survived. I need you companionship." Quon began to sound desperate.

"Even so Quon I do not wish to endanger you , your people or-" a small yawn came from the sleeping Tigress and Bane turned to look at the sleeping child. "-your family."

Quon smiled at his friend then at his daughter before continuing. "I will not always be there for my daughter, indeed I will make time for her but with my new duties as Wang* of the South she'll need a second father figure in her life to help raise her." Quon put his free arm around Bane and smiled "I could think of no better uncle than you."

Bane continued to stare at the child the smiled. "It would be an honor _my lord_." Bane said with a joking, mocking voice adding a false bow in for good measure.

Quon and Lian gave small laughs towards the Master's comical nature. "I propose a toast then," Quon said raising his glass. Bane and Lian raised their glasses along with Quon. "To our good health, to the health of our daughter, and may our rule be successful, bountiful, and may the people rejoice under our family's rule!"

Bane and Lian gave a hushed 'Here, here!" not wanting to wake the sleeping child then began to drink to their health. As the glasses reached their lips a loud explosion rocked the city below. Bane and Quon raced to the balcony railing craning their necks to see what had happened while Lian tried to comfort the scared child. Looking out over the city, Bane and Quon could see a large fire begin along the outer wall.

"What happened?!" shouted Quon looking towards Bane.

"I think I know what happened…I've been found." Bane said beginning to turn and rally royal guards. Before he could do so more explosions rocked the city, one explosion even went off inside the palace.

"Quon! What's happening?!" shrieked Lian, still holding the crying Tigress. Before her husband could answer a figure appeared in the balcony doorway.

"Hahahahahhah! Well, well. Master Bane how are you? I hear you're an uncle now, where is the poor child?"

Tigress recognized the voice, 'Oh no! Not him! Anything but him!'

"I'm afraid so Tigress," Bane's voice boomed in her head.

"Almar!" Bane shouted. "What are you doing here?!"

"You know why I'm here" Almar shouted. "To bring you in for your crimes against the Supreme Emperor Shadow, seize him! I'll deal with the others." Almar said drawing his sword. From behind him six shadow warriors rumbled onto the balcony, surrounding the family and backing them up against the balcony. Bane and Quon drew their swords and readied themselves.

"Bane I have a plan," Quon whispered to Bane.

"I'm all ears," Bane said with an equally hushed voice.

"I need a distraction though," Quon said.

"I'm on it," Bane said gripping his sword tighter, but instead of swinging Bane lashed out with words. "Typical Almar, hiding behind his soldiers."

Almar held up a hand signaling for his shadow creature warriors to stop. "Are you calling me a coward?"

"I wouldn't say that, I'd say your more of a chicken. I mean your letting your troops deal with the biggest threat and you're going to kill a defenseless family. That's pretty low."

"How dare you!" Almar said. "I could defeat you without even trying _Master Bane_."

"Oh really? Care to put that theory to the test." Bane said with a cocky grin.

"I shall!" Almar said drawing his sword and lunging towards Bane. Bane raised his sword in defense and the pair locked together in a life or death struggle determined by who would make the first mistake.

While the pair tussled Quon had gone to work cutting threw the support beams on the balcony with his sword. "Just one more to, uh, go!" The moment Quon had sliced through the final support beam everyone on the balcony began to plummet to earth. Bane and Almar continued to fight as they were suspended in free-fall, swords making a metallic clang each time their blades connected. Lian and young Tigress screamed as they followed Quon, Bane, Almar, and his shadows down the 300 ft decent to the town below.

"Bane!" Quon hollered over the rush wind. "We must use the pond below to break our fall!"

"I'm on it!" Bane shouted, delivering Almar a swift kick. Bane turned towards the screaming Lian and Tigress and adjusted himself so he could glide towards them. "Give me your hand Lian! I'll make sure you and your daughter hit the water!" Lean began to reach towards Bane, before she could grasp the out stretched arm a figure slammed into her and Bane separating the falling trio.

"If I die you die too Bane!" Almar shrieked landing blows on Bane's face. Bane threw punches back one connecting to Almar's jaw once again separating the pair. Bane could see the ground and judging from their falling speed they were only a few precious seconds from impact. Frantically looking around Bane saw that Lian was to his right and Tigress was to his left. Each of the two were falling in such a way that they would not hit the water, but the cold and hard stone ground. Bane gave a quick glance towards Lian, who managed to make eye contact for a brief second. She gave a quick nod seeing the position he was in then closed her eyes and let a few tears flow from her eyes. Bane bit his lip and regrettably turned his back towards the falling tigress and turned towards her daughter. His body strained to make it towards the small screaming figure.

"I gotcha!" Bane said with a satisfied look. The young child looked up with tear filled eyes and smiled for a brief second. "Don't worry Tigra I've got you and I won't let anything happen to yo-" Bane was cut off by the sight below him. The ground was feet away. Bane pushed off the stone wall of the massive palace beside him, changing the angle of their fall enough to land in the cold water. Quon hit the water in an elegant dive, while Bane hit the water head first with Tigress tucked under his chin. After a few moments the trio breached the surface, gasping for air.

"Bane where's my wife, she was right behind us right? Where's Li-" Quon stopped when he saw the motionless figure on the stone walkway a few feet away. "Lian! Lian!" Quon struggled towards the bank and crawled over to the body. "Wake up dear, you're…you're alright. Please wake up. Please!"Tears flowed from the king's eyes as he hunched over Lian's bloodied and distorted figure. Bane carried Tigress over to her father and set her down next to him.

"Father?" The young child asked.

"Yes my little flower?" said the older tiger.

"Is momma sleeping?"

The old tiger hesitated for a moment before pulling Tigress into a hug. "Yes my angle, she sleeps amongst the stars now."

From her observation point the older Tigress had began to shed tears at the sight of her mother's body. 'Bane, please, stop the memory. I cannot take anymore please. I don't want to see anymore.'

"I'm sorry Tigress but you must finish this you must know what happens" Bane's voice boomed. Tigress tried to swallow the tears and grief but it all seemed to get stuck in her throat. 'Okay' she thought, turning back towards the vision. 'I'll try.'

Bane had turned away from Tigress and her father, even under the hood one could see the tears streaming down his face. Because of him the death of a friend and a innocent child's mother was on his hands. As Quon grieved over his wife Bane heard a faint voice behind them. As the voice began to grow stronger Bane began to creep closer to it. Bane looked into a burning house; the voice sounded like it was coming from inside.

"Hello? Is someone here?" Bane called out.

"Yesssss, you could say that." A raspy voice called out behind him. Bane turned on his heels, behind him was Almar, well what was left of him anyways. Almar must have fallen through the weak roof of the burning house because his skin was torn from his flesh in several places. Almar was nursing his left arm which must have been broken on impact. As the two stared each other down a few beams in the ceiling collapsed separating the pair with an inferno, yet the two never broke eye contact.

"Wow look at you," Bane said in a taunting voice. "Here I thought you couldn't get any uglier."

Almar let out a sinister laugh. "You just wait till I find a way around there and show you how ugly I can really be. "

"Good luck with that!" Bane said spinning on his heels to leave.

"Oh and Bane," Almar called out. "When it's a shame that I will have to make your niece suffer, as punishment for your actions of course." Bane stopped for a moment as if he would make a smart remark, but after the brief hesitation Bane continued out the doorway leaving Almar in the blazing inferno.

Once Bane had made it back to Quon and Tigress he noticed that a few guards had managed regroup with their king. Even from a distance Bane could still see the grief in his old friend's eyes. "Bane, we must hurry if we have any chance at retaking the city."

"I hate to disagree Quon, but there is no chance at defeating Alamr and his army. I mean he has severely routed your forces, they have the city surrounded. It's only a matter of time till he kills those who remain or imprisons them."

Quon looked down at the ground with a somber gaze. "Then all is truly lost." Bane watched as Quon hung his head. The tiger appered to be much older than he really was; with defeat in the air Quon no longer looked a healthy prideful king. Instead Quon appeared to be a old and feeble ruler to senile to aid his people.

"My king," a young soldier blurted out. "You cannot be serious! Surely there must be something we could do!"

"I'm afraid, my young friend, that if my general says that retaliation is pointless then there is no hope." Quon replied bitterly. Everyone just stood there for a moment; reality had just hit them all hard. They were surrounded, outnumbered, and even if they tried to run the enemy would surely hunt them down. Bane watched the young Tigress play on the sidewalk next to her 'sleeping' mama. Bane watched as she picked flowers to give them to her mama as a gift for when she wakes up. Bane shook his head; she was so innocent, she didn't deserve this. That very moment something struck Bane in the face, he knew what he had to do. "Hope is not lost," he said in a quiet tone.

Quon's ears perked up slightly. "What was that Bane?" he asked in a confused tone.

"Hope is not lost," Bane said in a louder tone, close to shouting.

"What do you mean?" asked one of the guards scratching his head. "A moment ago you said there was nothing we could do."

"Yes, well maybe we can achieve a small victory from this," Bane said biting his lip.

"What do you mean by 'small victory'?" Quon asked. Bane pointed towards the small child then continued with his explanation. "We can still rescue your daughter from a fate worse than death. You and I could create a distraction along with a few of the men. Almar will think that we're making a last stand and rally all of his forces against us. While he's distracted one of your guards could slip out the city with your daughter disguised as a father and daughter fleeing the city, that way she won't have to suffer our fate."

Quon scratched his chin and observed his men, looking for their approval. He was met by nods and one of the guards saying 'At least the princess will be able to continue our legacy.' Then Quon nodded and said, "I like the plan except one detail."

"And what might that be?" Bane asked confused. Usually Quon agreed with every detail of his plans, truly this was a first for the master.

"I need all the guards remaining for this diversion, besides I need someone who I can thoroughly trust with my daughter's care." Quon said eyeballing Bane.

"You want me to flee with her?!" Bane said with full out disbelief.

"Yes you are her uncle and besides your fighting skills are matched by no one else on earth, she'll be safe with you."

"But the Shadows, they're always chasing me, she'll be in constant danger."

"I don't know but in a time like this, this truly is our best option." Bane opened his mouth to argue but was cut off by Quon's hand. "There is no more time for arguing. If we're going to act we must act now!" With that Quon picked up Tigress and carried her over to Bane. Untying the sash which held his sword to his hip he used it to strap Tigress to Bane's back. "Now listen my little flower. You're uncle will take good care of you till I can find you again. I want you to be strong, but always remember to smile and be yourself. Give people hope when they have none. Can you do that for me Tigra?"

The small child turned in her new seat, "Yes father."

"Good," Quon said giving her a kiss on her forehead. Quon looked at Bane and gave him a nod followed by a few instructions. "Once you're outside the wall wait a few minutes by Fury Rock, tell any stragglers to flee into the wilderness. Hopefully I will be there to meet up with you. If not flee to the far sides of China, if the Shadows pursue you find someone who can take Tigra in until you have lost your pursuers. If worst comes to worse take care of her as if she were your daughter. Promise me this."

Bane looked at his old friend and spoke in the best reassuring tone he could muster, "You'll be there I know you will."

Quon looked at him with pleading eyes and repeated those final words again, "Promise me!"

Bane hesitated for a moment, looking into Quon's eyes. "I will, as if she were my very own daughter." Quon seemed to relax for a moment then replied. "Good, now, take flight Eagle! Soar across this barren land and race to the safety of a new nest!" On those words Bane gave a final nod, before scaling the nearest building and disappearing out of sight.

Bane sped across the rooftops as a battle raged just underneath his few remaining warriors under Quon's command were able to rally and begin to inflict damage back at their attackers. From his vantage point atop the roofs Bane could see that the large cat warriors would not last much longer against a force that seemed to have endless numbers.

IT had been approximately half an hour since Bane had last spoke with Quon. It was hard to navigate the complex city from the rooftops without being spotted. After spending a year and a half in the city Bane had almost completely memorized the city's layout, including various land marks. However ontop of the roofs everything looked almost the exact same. Sure there were buildings of different sizes, shapes, and heights but Bane had only used the rooftops twice before in this city. Both of which were during the revolution almost two years ago. Still by ever so often looking back at the palace to judge distance traveled and peeping quick glances at the streets below Bane managed to navigate his way towards the north wall. As the battle cries from the ground below continued Bane glided across the rooftops with the grace of a dancer.

As Bane was close to reaching the wall a roof on a smaller house below him caved in under his feet making him and the small tiger on his back cry out in surprise. Bane landed on the floor of the one story home shoulder first, trying to avoid crushing the delicate package to his back.

"Are you alright little one?" he asked quietly. He waited a few moments before hearing a faint 'Mmmmhmm' then picked himself up off the floor. He looked at his new clothes, their green and brown colorings were covered in black soot and ash. He sighed and spoke his thoughts out loud. "At least it wasn't my whit outfit." Bane had received these new clothes from Quon as a gift for helping free the city two years ago. He personally liked the colors so much he hadn't worn his white and red uniform once in the past two years. "Good thing I always carry an extra change," he said eyeing the old white hood from inside his small travel pack.

Bane took a moment to look around, the house was that of a simple wood worker and there was not much inside. The family that lived here must have fled during the first attack since everything appeared to be up turned. "No use staying in here," Bane said looking for the door.

After a few minutes of searching the dark house for the door Bane found it. Sliding it open gently, Bane made sure the street was clear of anyone who may cause them harm, before completely opening the door. The very moment the two stepped out into the small alleyway they were greeted by the stench of combat. Blood, internal organs, and corpses littered the small street. Bane was horrified of the atrocity that he stood before. He had been in many different wars, but this one was vicious street hand to hand combat he had never seen before. Bane using a calm voice told Tigress to cover her eyes as he inched down the street, taking a moment to see if he recognized any of the fallen cats. As he was about to come to the end of the alleyway and climb up onto the nearest roof a small shiny object caught his eye. Bane turned and walked over to a body which had a small silver necklace strewn over the warrior's neck. Bane took a moment to observe the severely damaged body.

It took a minute to figure out the original features on the body, due to the severe mutilation but Bane finally managed to make out who it was. With a light gasp Bane managed to make out one faint name, "Quon." Bane began to tear up, he had lost his first true friend in almost 100 years. Worst of all his new niece was now a orphan; there was nothing left for her here.

"Uncle?" asked a small voice.

"Yes?" replied Bane.

"May I open my eyes now?" she asked.

"Not yet," Bane put on a fake playful voice; sounding like a parent about to surprise a child with a new toy. "I'll tell you when you can." Bane gently grabbed the necklace and pulled off his friend's body. "May you and your wife find eternal happiness friend." Bane whispered in a quiet voice. Taking one last glance Bane climbed up the nearest roof and continued to scurry across the last few roofs to the large outer wall. It took a few minutes to scale the 100ft wall, but once Bane reached the top he turned to admire the sight of the burning city. Everything from the streets to the main palace he had called home for almost two years was engulfed by a golden flame that seemed to stretch all the way to the stars.

"Uncle?" a small voice asked.

"Yes Tigra?"

"Can I open my eyes now?" wined the little child. Bane gave a fake laugh to cover up the grief stuck in his throat.

"How about I make you a deal? You count to 58 and I'll let you open your eyes."

"Awwww," wined the child. "No fair you know I can't count that high!"

"Well you better start practicing, shouldn't you?" Bane replied with a small joking voice. Listening to the small tiger count quietly behind him Bane made his way slowly down the outside of the wall. Every so often the small tiger would lose her place and start all over again.

"1, 2, 3,…."

* * *

Tigress could stand it no longer! She had seen enough, she no longer felt hardcore. She slowly melted into a crying mess as the vision faded out in front of her. 'That's what happened to my parents?'

"Yes, they died protecting you; the child they loved with all their hearts." Bane's voice boomed.

'But why? Why couldn't they save themselves? Why couldn't YOU save them?' Tigress demanded.

"I may have strength equal to a god, but I'm not one. If I could have saved them I would have. So that I didn't have to make the hardest decision of my life."

'What do you mean?' asked Tigress through a fury of tears.

"Take a look for yourself."Bane said bitterly.

It was six days since Bane had left the city behind. Today there had been a constant drizzle and a cloud cover so dark day looked like night. Bane knew though that it was past sunset, because nocturnal creatures had just begun to stir in the deep woods. Ever since the first day of leaving the city behind Bane and Tigress had been chased by a few of Almar's trackers, it would only be a matter of time till they caught up again. Yes again, on the second day of fleeing the pair were ambushed by the trackers. Bane managed to protect the child at the coast of an arrow being edged into his right shoulder and having a tendon in his foot cut open. For Bane walking had become a pain, a constant limp carrying armor, weapons and his niece. Every now and then Tigress would want down and he would gladly un-strap the child so he could take a moments rest.

Right now Bane was focused more on the child's safety rather than his own. Every day he would look for a safe home for her a family to temporarily take her in till he could lose his pursuers. Then after almost losing hope Bane had managed to come across a orphanage; it's name was Bao Gu.

'No!' the older Tigress screamed. "Don't place me into that hell hole of a place!" she tried and tried to warn the Bane in the memory of how terrible that place was, hoping she could somehow change the past. But she knew it was useless.

Bane undid the strap which held Tigress to his back, careful not to wake the sleeping child. With tender hands Bane used her dad's sash as a make-shift blanket and placed her on the cold stone ground in front of the door. "Tigra," he began. "I promise I will return for you. I want you to be safe and right now it would be dangerous for you to come with me. I want you to always remember that your parents and I always have and will love you. Be strong but never be afraid to give hope to those who have none. Remember these words, remember to be yourself." With that final word Bane tore a piece of cloth from his ruined green outfit and scribbled some words onto it. He placed the small note on the sleeping child's make-shift blanket, and then took one last look at her sleeping form before pounding as hard as he could on the door. The moment he stuck the door a third time he darted into the woods and up a tree so he could make sure that she was taken in. Sure enough a small older goat lady answered the door and found the sleeping child. She let out a small gasp and looked out into the drizzling night to see who had left their poor baby at her steps. After a minute of searching to no avail she gently scooped up the tiger, walked inside, and closed the doors behind her. Bane remained in the tree, watching everything that happened. After a few silent minutes of watching the rain come down, Bane hopped own from his perch and ran off into the night.

The dreamscape began to fade for Tigress. No longer did she hear, smell the bodies, or feel her parents' warm touch. All she felt was as if she was floating in nothingness. Then everything faded black. Tigress woke up with her head cradled in Bane's lap. She tried to sit up but felt extremely dizzy and was forced to lie back down.

* * *

"Easy," came Bane's gentle voice. "Being put through the vision-scape takes a lot out of you. Just rest for a moment.

Tigress ignores his advice and sat up against her body's wishes. She was used to pushing herself hard but an experience like this was completely draining. The two sat and stared silently at one another for a long time before either made a attempt to do anything.

Bane was the first to snap out of his trance like state, "I never fulfilled my promise to you though. I never came back. The shadows chased me out of China till a few months ago. The found me again so I came back here looking for somewhere to hide. I was hopeful that I'd be able to see you again." Bane paused for a moment before continuing. "When I heard about the Furious Five I didn't think that you would be one of the members, perhaps it was fate that made you a warrior or just dumb luck. Either way it's what your father wanted."

"He wanted me to be a warrior?"

"Yes he wanted me to teach you the original Tiger Style. He never wanted you to be queen that was your mother's idea. She was raised within a family that worshipped etiquette." Bane paused and looked at Tigress again. He reached behind his neck and undid a thin chain hanging around his neck. On the tiny chain was a small silver amulet. "This was your father's, he would have wanted you to have it." Bane stretched out his hand and gently dumped the small token into his niece's hands. Tigress observed it closely for a moment then stared back at her supposed uncle. She closed her large fist over the amulet before standing.

"Thank you for telling me about my parents Master," Tigress said without any emotion, giving a respectful bow.

Bane stood and returned her bow before she turned to leave. As she left the training Hall Bane continued to stand there for a few minutes, locked in a bowing position before managing to finally get the words he wanted to say out.

"You're welcome, my niece."

* * *

**Wow that took a longer time to make then I thought. Well everyone? What do you think? Leave me a comment if you like the longer detailed chapters more. I can write more like this one, but I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO. Leave a comment if you thought this was better or worse. Next Chapter will begin the romances or we'll explore more about why Bane's really here. It's your call, hurry and leave a comment if you want to influence the next chapter. Oh and school is starting next week so it will be harder to get more chapters out, but I'm not giving up on the story.****Thanks~ TheOriginalStory. **

**Wang- Chinese for King. **

**Previous chapters-1-2 thousand word; this chapter 7+ thousand **


	11. Chapter 11

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 11: Discussions

POV: No one

The morning gong rang finally waking the rest of the students from their nightmarish dreams. The barracks were full of the hurried shuffling of students leaping from their chambers, the slamming open of their doors, and a less in union than usual "Good morning Master!" Everyone stood in their bowing position, occasionally sneaking glances at one another.

"Good morning students," replied their Master. "I have heard about yesterday's mission from a reliable source," Shifu paused to eye Bane who was towering over him from behind. "and it has come to my attention that after such a, traumatic, experience you all deserve the day off from the usual training. Perhaps some time to meditate and practice hobbies will further quicken your recuperation. Further more I- wait a minute, has anyone see Tigress?" Everyone exited their respectful position to see that their Master was right; Tigress was not in her usual place outside her door.

There was a brief pause from everyone before Bane leaned down and whispered something in Shifu's ear. Shifu seemed to relax a little and then cleared his throat. "Never mind, it seems Tigress has already gotten up ahead of schedule. Now as I was saying, everyone has the day off, you may train if you wish but you have my permission to do whatever you please. I will be discussing important matters over with Master Bane in my chamber if you need anything. You all are dismissed." With that Shifu turned back down the hallway, followed by Bane and left the students to themselves. The Five and Po stood there awkwardly for a bit, it was very rare that Shifu gave them a day off. It did however give them a day to either avoid each other or try to start talking to one another again.

Po sat himself down on the floor in front of his door and scratched his head. "So what are we gonna do today?" he asked the others out loud. Everyone stood there for a moment, looking timidly from one another seeing who would be the first to speak. "I think I'll do a little painting," Crane said breaking the silence. "If anyone needs me I'll be in my room," the avian said turning back towards his room. There was another brief pause before Monkey decided to head to the kitchen where he planned on making some of his savory almond cookies. Mantis told Po that he was going to head down to the village to partake in a strong man competition he had heard about yesterday. After a few minutes all that was left was a friendly panda and a charming snake. "So sis," began the panda. "What are you going to do today?" inquired the large bear. The snakes blue eyes seemed to burrow themselves into Po's chest. He could feel them burning their way towards his eternal soul. "I don't know," the snake finally managed.

"Really? I mean this is coming from one of the best ribbon dancers out there," the panda smirked.

The snake smiled at her older friend. "Wait, how do you know about my ribbon dancing? I haven't done that in years."

Po shrugged. "I was a huge fan of you guys remember? I know a lot about you all."

"That's a little creepy Po," the snake said, before giving a light hearted laugh.

Po laughed back, "Yeah it was kinda an obsession. But seriously you should dance! I wouldn't mind watching if you need an audience, besides I heard you were one of the best ribbon dancers in your village."

Viper gave Po a warm smile. "So I was told, but it's been years since I last preformed for anyone Po. I'm really not sure."

Po gave a tiny disappointed frown then gave a devious smile. "Its fine Viper, I understand. But I know someone who wouldn't care how many times you'd mess up."

"Oh?" Viper asked filled with curiosity. "Who would want to watch a ribbon dancer who's so rusty she cannot dance?"

Po gave a small smirk then pointed towards Crane's door. Viper followed Po's finger till she saw where he was pointing, then looked at Po for a moment trying to figure out what he was getting at. After a moment of thinking Viper's eyes opened wide and her cheeks turned a reddish hue. Viper opened her mouth as if she was about to protest but before she could Po cut her off.

"I may not be the brightest person out there," he said in a knowing tone. "But I know about emotions and when there's something going on between two people." Viper continued to stare at the panda with a dumbfounded expression, trying to take in what he was saying. "I, I guess your right Po but," Viper turned away smiling before continuing. "I just don't know how he feels for me."

Po stuck his bottom lip out for a moment before saying anything. He wanted to give his friend the best advice he could but love was a strange emotion and he personally wasn't the most experienced in its ways. Sure he had his adoptive dad Mr. Ping who he loved as if he were his real father and he had his friends along with Master Shifu. But never in his life had he had that someone special that he would do anything for. Sure he had his childhood crushes like any other boy or girl, but never a true love. And right now he could see that this could be Viper's chance at true love; he didn't want to be the one that messes it up for her. "The best advice I can give you Viper," Po began. "Is you won't know till you try and even if he's not the one there are others out there for you."

Viper flicked her tongue a few times before sighing. "Yes I know, and thank you Po, but this is different. Crane is our fellow warrior and if he doesn't feel the same way or something doesn't work out, everything would be awkward. I mean we'd still have to live and work around each other, even if we didn't want to, don't you think that would be a little…uncomfortable?"

"Sure but things can't possibly get worse than they are now. I mean we all know each other's deepest fears and most shameful secrets. I don't think anything could possibly be more uncomfortable." Po and Viper looked at each other for a second then gave a few nervous laughs.

"I still don't know Po," Viper said staring at the floor.

"Well if you aren't going to talk to him about your feelings at least go talk to him. After all he is our friend." Po stood up, gave Viper a wink, and turned towards the way out of the barracks. "I'm going to find the others and maybe see what my dad is up to."

Viper nodded and smiled. The snake knew the panda better than anyone, even Monkey. After all she was the first real friend in the Palace Po had when he first joined its occupants in the fight against evil. The two of them were like brother and sister, so when he mentioned finding the 'others' Po really meant a certain tiger. Viper wasn't sure but she thought that she was the only one in the Palace who had managed to put two and two together. She had always known Po had a thing for Tigress. How big? She didn't know. But because of recent events in Gongmen and Po and Tigresses' new friendship, she could tell there was something going on between the two 'friends'. "Alright, see you later Po." Viper gave the panda a wave with the tip of her tail as he headed down the hall. Once his husky figure was on longer insight, the small green snake turned and began to slowly slither over to Crane's bedroom door.

* * *

She couldn't believe it! How could he possibly have the nerve to claim that he actually knew her parents! Even worse he had the balls to claim he was her uncle, an uncle that left her in that hell hole called Bao Gu. The place she rotted for four whole years before being rescued by Master Shifu. She wouldn't call it much of a rescue though, after all Shifu trained her to be a warrior. He never really cared for raising her, let alone love her. Besides if Bane was her uncle and he did care for her, why would he leave her in Bao Gu and never come back?

Tigress sat under The Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, silently ranting in her head. She had been holding the small necklace that had apparently belonged to her father in her hand, pausing every now and then to look at the little trinket. Tigress knew that Bane had been telling the truth about her parents and him being part of her life. The way he was so sincere and how he couldn't contain his emotions when watching the terrible memories she knew he was being truthful. There was only one thing standing in her way: her pride. Tigress knew she shouldn't let her pride get in the way, but it was just her nature to turn uncertainty to anger or show no emotion at all, it was the way she had been taught by Shifu to deal with uncertain emotions. Deep down inside her something was telling her to embrace the man and cry shamefully in front of him, to show him how much she had missed him and her parents. But instead of facing such emotions she did what she was trained to do; walk away. Perhaps one day she could earn his respect, not just as a fellow warrior, but as his niece.

Tigress sat there under the tree for a while longer watching the sun rise further into the sky. As she continued to observe the small silver amulet her ears twitched alerting her to someone's presence.

"Ummm, Tigress?" came a quiet voice. Tigress turned to find where the small voice had come from. Behind her was Po, he stood there under the trees watching her face expression. "Could you use some company?" he asked twiddling his thumbs. Tigress gave him the same smile she had on the docks backin Gongmen and patted the ground next to her. Po gave a small smile then shuffled over beside her and plopped down next to her. Tigress gave a small noticeable grin as Po's stomach jiggled from impact of hitting the ground. There was a moment's pause between the two before Po caught her smiling at him. "What?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," replied the female as she turned away still smiling.

"Nothing is making _the_ Master Tigress, queen of the hardcore smile?" Po asked giving her a gentle nudge with his elbow. Tigresses' smile faded instantly, "Yeah, I guess so." Po watched for a minute or two then turned his head towards the incredible view in front of him. The sun had just risen not even fifteen minutes ago and the Valley was alive with activity. All the small family owned shops had just opened their doors for the day. The smells of fresh noodles, steamed vegetables, dumplings, and desserts wafted their way up the cliffs to the pairs' noses. The pinging of metal workers and the hammering of crafters could be heard over the faint chatter of adults and laughter of children. Po let out a sigh at all the good memories he had down in the village. "I remember all the fun times I had down in the village," began the panda. "All the times cooking with my dad, running errands for the neighbors, sneaking tastes from the various dessert venders, and getting to play with the newest toys before they were even finished being built. They were some of the best times of my life," Po looked over at Tigress who only nodded, not taking her eyes off the villagers bellow. "But even so I was always teased, sometimes even from my own friends. I realized that I needed someone to confide in; I happened to be lucky that my dad was always there for me. Sure he wasn't my real dad but he cared for me like a real one should and that's all I could ask for. Tigress what's bothering you? Don't try to lie to me; after living with all of you for a little over a year now I can tell when something's bothering your or any of the others." Po finished throwing a concerned look in for good measure.

Tigress inhaled deeply, Po was the closest thing she had to a real friend and if she could trust anyone it would be Po. Tigress twitched her nose then bowed her head trying to think of a way to explain all that was currently on her mind to Po. "Po," she began. "Remember how you recently learned Shen was involved with your parents and origin? I don't know what happened after; if you got closure or you learned something about your parents that made you whole again." Tigress paused trying to find the words. "But I can say I have been in a similar position all my life; I know that you of all people would know of how Shifu adopted me from Bao Gu. Ever since a young age I've been trying to find out what happened to my parents and why they left me in such a position. That's why back in Gongmen I told you I do understand: you and I both have a similar start to our stories." Tigress rubbed her right shoulder with her left paw, hoping to wipe away the bad memories of her childhood. Po watched the tiger with his emerald orbs; a sad expression painted on his face. "I did find out what happened to my parents Tigress," Po began. "They were killed by Shen. It was through all that pain and suffering though that I learned the reason I'm still here today is they sacrificed themselves for my well being. I know they loved me because if they didn't I wouldn't be here talking to you this instant." Po stopped and smiled at the tiger who smiled back. "But accepting their deaths and the reason I'm still here because of them was the most difficult part of my journey. And because I accepted those reasons I was able to find peace."

Tigress shook her head, "I still cannot believe that you are only just over thirty years old yet you managed to find inner peace." Po gave a little chuckle "I guess you could say it was quite an achievement. But that's not what we're talking about now is it?" Po inquired. Tigress looked as if she had been punched in the gut; she seemed to reel at how focused Po was at uncovering what was hurting her. "You want to know what's really bothering me Po?" she asked in a quiet voice. Po only nodded his head giving her a cue to explain. Tigress seemed to tense up as if she was about to unleash a fury of punches towards an opponent. But before she unleashed her fury Tigress un-expectantly calmed down. "I don't know where to start Po, to be honest I don't know what is wrong with me. I want to blame Master Shifu for never truly raising me as his daughter, but I can't blame him completely for that. So many things have happened since you arrived, so many good and bad. The bad ones seemed to outnumber the good ones by a large margin. I mean Tai Lung returned, Shen arose, Master Thundering Rhino died, I lost my chance to be the Dragon Warrior, Oogway passed away, we almost died getting captured by Shen, and I almost lost yo- I mean we almost lost you after Shen shot you. I could keep going but I'd rather not," Tigress paused and noticed Po must have thought she was blaming him for everything. "But none of that was really your fault, yes you've made mistakes but all of us have. Then there were the good things; Master Shifu lightened up and obtained inner peace, you defeated Tai Lung and Shen, and well I have a new friend I can talk to besides the Five." Tigress smiled after she finished. Po grinned the turned his attention back to the town. "But recently more issues have arisen that I still don't feel like talking about for now."

Po turned and gave her an understanding nod. He understood that the tiger would need time to process all that was going on in her life before she could talk about anything else. He had been there before several times in his life and knew when to stop pushing. Making sure not to fall off the narrow cliff, Po gently scooted over a few inches so he could lean against the old Peach Tree. Po tucked his hands behind his head and gave a contempt sigh as he relaxed enjoying the morning sun's warmth.

Just when Po was about to dose off into a comforting dream he heard a small shuffle and opened his right eye for a peak. In front of him was Tigress who had scooted over into his personal space. The female gave a little sigh then tucked her hands behind her head just like Po then let herself drift back into a laying position. But instead of hitting the ground behind her, Tigress landed on a rather soft and warm pillow made out of a familiar panda. The second Po felt Tigress lying on his stomach his eye's shot open. He gave himself a small pinch followed quickly by a small ouch. No he definitely was not dreaming; the famous Master Tigress was using his stomach as a pillow. Po sat there dumbfounded for a moment trying to figure out what he should do, he didn't want to ruin this special moment with her because she obviously would never do this with anyone else and there was a chance she would never do this again. But instead of closing his eyes and drifting off Po gently slid his arms around the thin tiger and pulled her into a tight embrace. There was a small 'huff' followed by a quiet voice. "Haven't….hugged….much before. You…..know that right?" Po gave a barely noticeable smile before replying, "I know. But now you're learning from the master."

* * *

The small green snake lifted her tail and knocked lightly on the wood frame of the rice paper door. "Come in." a gentle voice called from within the room. Viper was very ginger when opening the door. She had good manners but around Crane, she always seemed to use them a tiny bit more. She slithered quietly into the room, noticing that Crane was in a meditative stance with closed eyes. "Ah, Viper! To what do I owe this visit?" said the Avian not moving an inch. Viper however was not paying much attention, her focus was turned on the art work that filled the calm bird's room. There were pictures of relaxing sunsets, beautiful nature settings, beautiful words written in calligraphy, and even pictures of small families doing their daily activities. The way each work was painted differently showed years of time, practice, patience, and experience that went into each individual piece. "Wow!" was all the snake could manage."I've never seen any of these paintings before. When did you get the time to paint all these?"

Crane gave a small sigh before slowly leaving his meditative position. He placed his brush down in a small tin cup filled with black paint then turned to Viper. "These are all the paintings I've made in my life Viper. The reason you, and everyone else for that matter, haven't seen any of my work is because I'm afraid of any criticism or complements I will receive." Viper turned on the avian with a shocked expression, "Crane, how could you possibly worry about that!? These pieces are incredible! They're better than any artist of our time! You should share your gift with the world!" Crane nodded, "Yes but that's the problem. If I show the world that I have such a talent for art then everyone will want me to make more."

"Yeah, so? What's the problem with that? It will only add to your title! Crane: a prestige master of kung fu and painting."

"That's the thing Viper," Crane said with a sigh. "You cannot receive a gift without having to give something up in return. If I show the world that I'm a great painter; I'll lose time to practice kung fu. I'll lose time to spend with you and the others; the life of a painter is a lonely one Viper."

Viper stared for a moment. "Oh," was all she could manage. She hadn't thought about how much time it did take to be a painter. A similar issue had arisen earlier on within her life as well; she had always loved ribbon dancing but now that she was a Master, she practically had no time at all. She could relate with the avian; it was hard o choose between two things you loved. Viper coiled herself up, "Well Crane, which do you love more?"

"Huh?"

"Which do you love more? There are rewards at the end of each path, but you must choose the one you prefer. You should choose the one you love most wither it's kung fu or not."

"I've already made that decision Viper, I wouldn't be here today had I chosen art." Crane gave a confident smile. The snake smiled back, she knew Crane had a passion for both art and kung fu she just never was sure what he loved more. Of course kung fu had always been a dream for Crane; Viper knew that especially after hearing about the beginning of his carrier at Lee Da. But she had also heard that before becoming a janitor and student at Lee Da, Crane had been a promising art student just from raw talent alone. However she never knew he was _this_ promising.

Viper gave another quick glance over the paintings. "I noticed that you don't have many pictures of people in your collection," the snake admired one of the small family paintings. "The one's you do seem to be of families I've never seen or met before. They must live somewhere else than in the Valley." Crane gave a nervous grin then began to scratch the back of his head. "Yea, well you see all those paintings of families are of fake families, they don't exist. I made them up because every time I tried to get someone to pose or even got the nerves to I was just brushed off. And I don't think the other Masters in the Palace wouldn't approve of or have the time to sit for a painting. I mean between training, battles, and sleep there really is no time for getting a picture painted."

Viper studied the 'fake' photo for another moment. A ludicrous idea ran into her head, Viper tried to shake it out of her head but finally gave in. Placing the photo back in its place Viper began, "So Crane what were you doing in that mediating position? You definitely weren't painting."

"I was trying to find inspiration for a new painting. That's why I pulled out all my odd paintings. I was hoping meditating and observing past works would inspire me to paint a new picture or portrait."

Viper smiled sweetly at her friend. "Crane?"

"Yes Viper?"

"Would you…..would you paint me?" Viper's face had a faint pinkish hue to it. The snake's eyes shimmered in the faint light of the room. Crane could only stare before he managed to claw his way back into reality. "What?! Really….you want me to….paint you?" Viper gave a shy nod and a quiet 'mmmmhhmmm' before slithering over to the center of Crane's room. Crane moved over to his canvas then picked up his brush. Viper's face turned a scarlet color as Crane walked over to her and gently coxed her into a paintable stance. After a few moments of trying and trying Crane gave a frustrated sigh, "I just can't find the right position to paint you in!" Walking back over to his canvas Crane bit down on his brush, closed his eyes, and tried to imagine a way for Viper to pose; a position that would make her come alive on the canvas. There was a moment of shuffling before a tiny voice came from the other side of the room.

"Crane? How about like this?"

Crane opened his eyes to see Viper. She had struck her Master's stance and had a rather suggestive expression on her face. Her eyes were slightly closed and her mouth was opened slightly as her tongue lightly fluttered in the air. Crane's beak hung open slightly and his face revealed a faint blush. Viper's face was almost entirely red; her stance had never had such an artistic, or for that matter, an _inviting flare_ to it before. Her complexion was not helped by the fact that her friend and secret crush was watching her like this. Crane quickly closed his beak then gave his head a small shake. "Alright, that's perfect now hold it for a bit…"

The hours began to pass. Viper had never stayed in the same position for the same amount of time in her life! Every now and then she seemed to begin to fall out of the position, Crane's gentle words reminded her of how close he was to finishing and that she wouldn't have to stay in that position much longer. After what felt like days of work, which was only a couple of hours, Crane placed his brush back down in its tin. "Alright," came Crane's tired voice. "I'm finished Viper." The lady snake let out a faint sigh of relief as she exited her pose. She stiffly and slowly worked her way over to Crane who wiped his brow in exhaustion.

Viper let out a gasp at the sight of the painting. It was almost a perfect replica of her, the only difference was that the painting seemed to be more, in a word, 'beautiful' than the real her. Crane had taken the time to observe and paint every detail, every curve and bump in her figure. The painted Viper was in the same exact position and had the same flirty expression on her face. She had a light red tone to her face resembling a blush and Crane even spent the time to paint each individual petal of her lily flowers on her head. The detail that stuck out most to Viper however was that Crane had added in her dancing ribbon for extra effect. The pink ribbon swirled gracefully around her head and body and filled the blank space behind the portrait. Last but not least; the tattoo-like artwork on her back was painted perfectly, not one detail was left out or misplaced.

"Wow Crane! It's beautiful!" said a stunned Viper. Crane gave a small shrug, "All I did was paint the real thing it was noth-ack!" Crane was cut off as the small snake gave him the tightest embrace he had ever received in his life; it was even stronger than the time Po hugged him and the others on the docks back in Gongmen. Crane could feel his checks heat up as a rosy coloring flushed its way onto his face. "Viper….you're….squeezing me….too hard!"

Viper released her avian friend, "Ohmygosh! I'm so sorry Crane!" Crane re-adjusted his hat back to its usual position then gave himself a quick dust off. "No problem Viper. Now as I was saying; all I did was paint the real thing." Viper stopped in her tracks; a brief thought came into her mind, 'Is he hinting that he thinks I'm beautiful?' Viper smiled sweetly at Crane, "So where are you going to hang that in your room? Or are you going to put it with the other pictures?"

Crane smiled shyly, "Actually I was hoping you'd take it, you know, as a gift."

"Really!?" Viper asked excitedly.

"Yes."

Viper wrapped her tail gently around the painting, ""Thank you Crane."Crane gave his friend a curt nod. "You're welcome," Crane looked out his window. "It's getting late; Po should be starting dinner soon."

Viper smiled and opened Crane's bedroom door. "I'll see you at dinner Crane," Viper said in a sweet tone.

* * *

Shifu and Bane had been discussing the issue of the Shadow Army almost all day long. The two Masters had been trying to come up with various ideas and ways on how to deal with the threat, not only to China, but the entire world.

The two Masters sat on mats in Shifu's grandmaster chamber. Both had their legs folded in a lotus position. They had been meditation and openly discussing their ideas all day, each seemed to yield less than satisfactory results. Shifu inhaled deeply, "Inner peace, inner peace, in-in-inner peace…I've got it! What if we were able to trick the Mongolians into thinking the Shadow Army was trying to conquer them. Their rebellious nature would surely cause them to start an all out war with the Shadows. In a way we'd be killing two birds with one stone; the Mongolians and Shadows would kill each other off."

"It's a good idea. Only there are several issues with that plan: first the Shadows have already conquered most of Mongolia. Second the rest of Mongolia that isn't conquered is home to peaceful tribes that would rather let the Shadows walk all over them then try to start a bloody rebellion."

Shifu twitched his ears irritably. "Then what could we do!? You've shot down every idea I've given you," Shifu snapped. The Master then realized what he had said to his superior, "I'm sorry Master, I apologize for snapping at you. Forgive me."

Bane shrugged, "its fine Shifu. We're both under a lot of pressure. I don't blame you for snapping, besides the fate of the world is in our hands; a enormous burden. Now, I'll tell you what we're going to do. You're going to use your connections here in China to reach out to every Master and warrior you know who fights for honor and freedom. We're going to create an army of kung fu warriors, assassins, street fighters, even volunteers who want to fight for their right to live."

"That could work…but even with all the warriors in China aided by thousands of volunteers; you would still be outnumbered 10 to 1. The odds could be even worse depending on how many new recruits the Army has picked up since you last engaged them. Then there is the matter of you having to defeat _Emperor_ Shadow."

"Yes I know Shifu, but we have the 'wildcard' so to speak. "

"The reincarnations of Phoenix and Dragon," Shifu spoke in a ghostly tone.

"Yes indeed, so you do know of the story?"

"Yes. The legend of how after Phoenix and Dragon's deaths you managed to absorb their Flames and store them in the Alters of Fire. So that years later, two warriors contained the skills, talent, and abilities of Dragon and Phoenix they could be called upon to fill in the shoes of their predecessors. However I thought you and that story were just legends, until recently of course."

"You have done your research well Shifu," Bane said with a chuckle then his face turned serious. "Shifu we need to have a serious talk."

"About what Master?" Shifu asked raising an eyebrow.

* * *

Po and Tigress had spent the day dozing on and off and just talking about happenings in the Valley and previous battler; nothing to serious. The pair hadn't moved from their 'position' from earlier. The sun had begun to set over the Valley and Po suggested that they get up so he could go and prepare dinner for the others. "I had a fun time Po," Tigress said as she stretched out her back. Po twisted and popped his spine, "No problem Tigress. I never knew that you enjoyed talking about simple things like the rest of us. Well, if fights and duties count as simple things."

Tigress smiled, "Around the Palace those are considered simple things. And I do enjoy talking about the simple things Po, it's just I've never had a _real_ friend to talk to about things."

"I thought you and Viper were like sisters and could tell each other about anything?"

"Yes but," Tigress sighed. "It's real complicated Po, maybe one day I'll explain more. Right now all you need to know is that it complicated." Po smiled and gave a nod. He understood that the tiger was still unsure about herself; she was still trying to learn to open up to people. He watched Tigress as she stretched herself out slowly. Her fur glistened in the faint sunlight, as she performed nimble stretches that he still couldn't do because of his rather robust figure.

**_"_****_Shifu, since I arrived in China less than two weeks ago I've been searching for the next Phoenix and Dragon using the Tiger Lily and Reptilian stones; the devices used to detect the reincarnations of Phoenix and Dragon….."_**

Tigress caught Po watching her and returned his gaze. "What are you looking at Po?" Po shock himself back into reality. "Nothing! I mean I was….uh…" Tigress cut him off with a raised hand and smile. "I think I know what you were staring at," Tigress said moving in slightly closer.

**_ "…_****_Recently the Tiger Lily stone has been flickering with a white light, which signals that Phoenix's reincarnation is nearby. Last night when I was talking to your adopted daughter it was shining brighter than it had ever before…."_**

"You, you do?" Po stuttered nervously.

"Yes Po," said Tigress as she was inches from Po's face.

"I'm sorry…it's just your eyes have never looked that way before."

"My eyes have never looked this way before hmm? Tell me Po what's so different about them tonight?"

"Well it just that your eyes look like there's a fire burning within them."

"Really? Maybe that's my passion to protect people you're seeing."

Po shook his head roughly, "I don't your understanding what I'm saying Tigress. There's a_ literal_ fire burning in your eyes."

Tigress took a step back; she had a confused look on her face. "I don't quite understand what you're saying Po." Po grabbed Tigresses' hand and pulled her gently over to a left over puddle from the storm a few nights ago. After seeing his own reflection smile back at him he stepped aside; allowing Tigress to see her reflection in the puddle. "Here take a look for yourself."

**_"…_****_.You remember me telling you about the vision-scape ability correct? Yes well I'm glad you do because there was a detail I noticed that seemed to be 'out of place' if you will: I remember clearly that Tigresses' mother Lian always had a strong personality….but her eyes never had a literal fire in them. The only people _****I know to have that trait, myself excluded, are Shadow, Dragon, and Phoenix…." **

Tigress peered into the shallow pool of water. She could see every detail in her face, from the stripes that outlined her eyes to being able to see the nearly invisible whiskers on her face. Tigress turned her attention to her eyes; Po was right! There was something really strange about her eyes. Behind her usual crimson irises orange flames danced around her eyes. "What the-?"

"See I told you!"

Tigresses' brows furrowed, 'What happened to me that caused this to happen?' Tigress sat down next to the small puddle, crossed her arms, and began to search for any possible clue to why this happened to her. 'Could I have eaten something that had special properties or am I dreaming all of this?' Tigress punched herself hard in the jaw, "Ouch!"

"Tigress! Are you okay!? Why'd you do that?" Po asked checking her jaw for any serious wounds.

"Nope not a dream," Tigress murmured to herself.

"What?" Po asked. "I couldn't hear you."

"Never mind Po." Tigress said rubbing her jaw. "Let's go see Master Shifu and Master Bane. Maybe they know why my eyes are like this."

* * *

Bane paused trying to organize his thoughts. He bit his lip and folded his hands. Shifu watched the Master opposite him shift uncomfortably. The air felt tense and Shifu could bear it no longer, "What is it Master?! What are you trying to tell me?!"

"Shifu. All these 'incidents' have led me to believe that Tigress has a special gift; that she is not a normal Master. Ever since she was born I've always felt a special connection to her. The reason I left her in Bao Gu was not just to protect her from the Shadows, but to protect her from the truth." Bane paused and looked Shifu directly in the eyes. "Shifu my friend, I believe that Tigres, your adopted daughter, my niece, is the next Phoenix…."

* * *

**Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I hope you enjoyed the taste of the romance between the soon-to-be couples….or will they end up together? XD I feel evil right now… Anyways, I bet most people weren't expecting this kinda twist in the story, maybe some were. Hope this chapter really hooks you readers. I plan on writing better than I currently am, but I kinda rushed the ending of this chapter because I already have a lot of work in the first week of school and I don't know how long it will take to finish a new chapter. Please leave a comment w/ suggestions or compliments. ****J ****Until next chapter…**

**~TheOriginalStory**


	12. Chapter 12

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

**If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. ****J ****Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 12

POV: No one

Six months earlier….

The red metallic substance that normally presented life was now stained across the floor of the dark cave. Most of it had been dried after a few days of setting in the cold, deep and dark cave. However under these circumstances it was safe to say blood was practically dripping from the ceiling. It was here high in the snowy frost-bitten caps of the Himalayas, where HE made his current encampment. Each and every day was spent torturing and mangling his new victims, sculpting them into his newest subjects.

It was an interesting practice really. A few corrupted souls would be mutilated as they still stood breathing. Limbs would be dethatched in a brilliant splatter of red salty liquid, and then reattached to a different body as if these poor souls' bodies were just a mere puzzle to this 'crafty' maniac. But how could creatures survive such treatment of wretched proportions? Simple they were corrupted with the numbness of the Shadow. No longer were they mere mortals with control of their own fate, but literal zombies of the mind.

This artist was truly a monster indeed, for he wanted to create the most horrid abominations to serve his cause. Those who he had possessed: he would turn into his Shadows; creatures made up of body parts of various animals, that no longer had a completely solid physical state. In fact they were made of a dark black mist which could dissipate and reform in another place after being destroyed in combat. In a way it was a unique form of self regeneration.

HE was in the process of creating his next creature, his next plan to hunt down his most accursed enemy: Master Bane. HE and his army had been tracking the wounded Master from Gaul, through Persia, along India's boarders, and now into the region held by China. However HIS pursuit had been slowed to a crawl; it isn't easy moving the largest army in the world through the largest mountain range in the world. That treacherous Master HE thought, was always, even in wounded flight, presenting more challenges, more tiny pricks in his side that must be dealt with.

It was now that another irritation came to his attention. From the mouth of his cave he could hear the voice of one of his commanders. "Sir? We have an issue we need you to address." Frustrated, HE got up from his most recent project and walked to the opening of his cave. HE gave a pained hiss as the midday sun burned into HIS eyes. HE reeled back a little and withdrew into the shade of his cave. From here HE could see that it was the freshly fallen snow, reflecting the bright rays of sunshine into his face. HE rose an arm to shade his sensitive eyes and then addressed his commander, "Almar, what is so important that you drag me out into the blinding rays of the day?" Almar gave a small snicker. "Sorry me lord, I forgot that after spending so long in the shadows you are light sensitive. Anyways, as you can see, your majesty, snow fell during the night."

"Yes, what about it?" replied the dark figure.

"Some of most of our supplies were buried sir. Along with a few of our men."

"Tell me commander how did the supplies get buried?"

"They were stored in the lower encampment further down the mountain. That's where most of the snow fell and, well, buried most of the supplies sir." replied Almar. HE gave an annoyed growl. "Tell the men to being savaging whatever they can; the more they save the more they eat." HE turned and began to head back into his dark cave when his commander's voice stopped him one last time. "Sir? What about the ones who were buried?"

"Let them dig themselves out, only the strong will survive in my army commander. Oh and one last thing, I'm sending you and a few men ahead to tail Bane. A smaller force should be able to keep pace with a wounded Master. If you should capture him or anyone who may be of any use to him I want you to hold onto them until I arrive to interrogate them myself." HE retreated into the darkness of HIS cave with one last threat to HIS officer. "Oh! And Almar, if you are unsuccessful in your mission, you better not come back at all."HE did not wait for a reply. He expected HIS orders to be followed through to the letter and if they weren't then HE could always replace those who fail. Besides HE commanded over 100,000 of the world's most dangerous warriors and abominations; why should HE worry?

HE picked up one of the unlit torches that littered HIS cave and by merely snapping HIS fingers lit the damp wood. HE walked to the back of HIS cave where the 'spare parts' were kept, mumbling to HIMSELF. "I shouldn't be the one that worries no, THEY all should worry. I'M coming for them, I can smell their fear." HE paused and cracked a wicked smile. "And it smells delicious. What do you think my weak little friend?" HE turned to a stone slab that was suspended off the floor about 3 feet and laying on it appeared to be a severely malnourished tiger. The tiger gave a cough and shuddered under the icy cold feel of the stone. "What do I think? I think you're a raving mad lunatic!" HE cracked a wicked smile at this, "Oh really? How so?"

"How so? How so? YOU had the audacity to take over and claim the world as YOURS! You had the brilliant idea to burn down my kingdom, send your minions to kill my wife and daughter and my best friend! Then worst of all YOU deny me a hero's death in battle by reviving me and taking me prisoner. So I would call you a lunatic!" HE threw his head back in a maniacal laugh. "Oh that is_ rich_! You do not know the whole story, yet the parts you do know aid your desire to accuse me of all your problems." HE looked down menacingly at the tiger and grabbed his neck with a cold fist. "Listen to me, _Quon_, it is not I who you should be enraged at; it is the one who caused you all this pain you should be mad at."

"And who might that be?" asked the defiant tiger, trying to free himself from HIS grasp.

"The very same person who let your wife die. The very same person who brought danger to your kingdom purely his existence. The very same person who left you behind to defend your kingdom in its darkest hour; the very person who left you to die!"

"No!" Quon, struggled under HIS grasp."He didn't do any of that! Those were out of his control!"

A wicked smile appeared on HIS lips. "The same person who let your daughter Tigra die." Quon stopped struggling under HIM. "Wha-what?"

"You heard me, your daughter is dead. Bane never wanted to save her. It was just an excuse to hide his cowardice. He used 'saving her' as an excuse to flee himself." Quon's eyes filled with tears, his face full of disbelief. "No. He wouldn't! He was the most honorable man I knew."

"Then you were a fool!" HE spat releasing Quon. "You don't live for a thousand years by being stupid and naïve. I should know; I speak from experience." Quon broke down mentally. The last hope that his daughter had survived had been extinguished. Worst of all his best friend for years had betrayed him. There was nothing left for him; nothing to go back to and nothing to look forward to. What was he to do? "I understand how you feel," HE began. "I was born into this world believing that my three friends would protect me and be there for me as long as I lived…but they stabbed me in the back! They claimed a god had told them I was to turn evil and use their abilities to destroy them. I begged and pleaded with them that I would never do such a thing but my cries fell on deaf ears." HE turned HIS back to Quon's restrained figure. "They claimed I was a monster yet I had done nothing to wrong them, I ask you: who is the real monster in this case, the one who is innocent or the three who wrongly accuse the innocent?" HE turned back to Quon. "I have reasons doing all that I have done, and you have reasons to desire a taste of revenge. Why not join ME?"

"I shall never stoop to your level and besides we are two different men with different morals."

"Indeed, but I would not suggest changing who you are to join ME. I'M just saying that we have a common enemy and that we could form a temporary alliance till the threat has been neutralized."

Quon bit his lip in hesitation. There was a long silence. "Fine if you will not join ME, you can stay here and rot!" HE said turning and leaving in a storm. No matter HE thought, time was on his side and all the pieces were coming together. HE had destroyed the very two Masters who could possibly pose a threat to HIM. HE destroyed the very organization which had been founded to destroy HIM. HE had the final Master on the on the run and bleeding. And it was HE that commanded an army that the legendary Persian army would kneel to. HE was all powerful, HE had all the pieces, HE himself was the ultimate being, and now it was HE who was building his next brilliant soldier. Life was good HE thought with a twisted smile.

* * *

Present day…

Life was not good thought Master Shifu. The news that Master Bane had just given him tugged at his heart. Indeed Master Shifu had never been much of one to show emotions however his adopted daughter Tigress meant the world to him. He had only been strict in her upbringing because he never wanted her to turn out like his last child. Master Shifu rose from his meditative stance and walked over to an open window. He knew Tigress wouldn't turn into a monster like Tai Lung but that fear had always been there, ever since he adopted her. But now a new fear had worked its way into his mind. "If she is the next Phoenix then that puts her in the direct path of Shadow's fury," Shifu spoke with emptiness. The Grandmaster continued to stare out his chamber's window listing for the ancient wisdom of the Master behind him. Shifu could here Bane shift uncomfortably and then heave a sigh. "Yes, she will be one of the few to take the blunt of his fury. " Bane stood and placed a hand on the Grandmaster's shoulder. "And because of that she will never have anything close to a normal life; few friends, no stable place to live, no family, no mate." Those words stung Master Shifu's heart. He had always tried to give Tigress the closest thing to a normal life he could. But it was never the life he had wanted to give her after all she had a strong temper and uncompromising strength for a young girl. Shifu turned to face Bane with pleading eyes. "Bane, please even if Tigress is the next Phoenix she has on just begun to experience real emotions. This is why she was passed over by Master Oogway for the Dragon Scroll. She is not ready mentally to take on such a role." For the first time in ages Shifu's eyes began to fill with pained tears. "Please Bane she is not ready, therefore she cannot be the Phoenix. Please tell me you are wrong and that my daughter will have a chance at happiness." The anicient pairs' eyes connected. "Shifu I fear it is not Tigress who is not ready, but you. You fear losing your daughter but you must realize she is my niece as well. Also I cannot be sure if she is the next Phoenix or not. After all the recent occurrences the probability that she is the next Phoenix is high. Only time will tell if my assumption is corre-"

Before Bane could finish his sentence he was interrupted by a loud crash, followed by a loud familiar voice. "Master Bane! Master Shifu! Come quickly! You have to look at Tigress!" Po cried. The pair turned to see Po escorting Tigress into the Master's chamber. She had one hand on Po's forearm and one covering her eyes. Master Shifu fearing the worst rushed over and in a commanding voice ordered Po to tell him what happened. Po tried to find words to explain but found himself stammering and fumbling with words resulting in one frustrated red panda. "Panda, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened to her." Shifu turned to his adoptive daughter and tenderly grabbed her free paw. The old Master began to lead the tiger towards his bed. "Come and sit down Tigress," he said in a gentle voice. Once they reached the bed he helped her sit down then turned to Po who seemed to just stare dumbstruck at them. It's not like he hadn't seen this side of Shifu before, but it was still rare and surprising whenever it occurred. "Well?!" asked the impatient panda. Po slowly closed his jaw, took a deep calming breath then let loose. "Her eyes Master! You have to just look at them! They're totally…." Po gave a hesitant pause as if trying to find the right word. Master Bane gave a slightly amused look while Shifu began to tap his foot. "….AWESOME!" finished the panda with a little dance. Master Shifu gave Po an irritated look, "That doesn't help at all Panda, was she hurt or are you two just pulling a childish prank on me?" Po stopped dancing and turned towards his annoyed master. "No Shifu it's not a prank! And it's not bad either….at least I think it isn't." Po stopped and scratched the back of his head. Then pointed to Tigress, "There's like no words to describe what happened or is happening. You just have to look at her eyes."Bane gave a small 'hmmmmm' and moved closer to Tigress. Shifu just looked confused. "What on earth do you mean panda?" Po walked over and stood next to Tigress. "I mean look," Po gently took Tigress's hand and moved it away from her face. Both Bane and Shifu found themselves observing quite the spectacle. Tigress's irises danced with shades of yellow, orange, and red flames. Bane and Shifu turned to look at each other. Bane had an 'I was right expression.' Shifu had one of pure horror. "See!" exclaimed Po. "I told you!" There was a moment's pause then the silence was broken by a timid and nervous female voice: "Surprise?"

* * *

**Hey everyone TheOriginalStory here. Sorry about taking forever. I litterally put this chapter together in a few hours of spare time I had this weekend. Unfortually it didn't go as long or as detailed as I would have wanted it but its a chapter to provide interest in the story till I get around to another chapter. I'm also working on an original novel that I may be convinced to post a excerpt for to see what you all think about it. Until next (and hopefully better update) TheOriginalStory out! :) **


	13. Chapter 13

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

** If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. J Thanks! **

** Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Deamworks Animation. **

Chapter 13: PrePreparations

POV: No one

"This indeed is the final piece of evidence needed to prove that I'm correct Shifu," Bane said turning his back to his fellow Masters. A smile of satisfaction crossed his face. Po and Tigress remained where they were, not sure what the Universal Master meant. "Master? What has been proven to you?" asked the female tiger. There was a moment's pause, Bane still had his back turned to them and appeared to stare off out the Master Chamber's window. Shifu sat down on his bed, a look of horror had plagued his face, and all he could was stare at the floor beside his bed in disbelief. Po opened his mouth to try and break the silence but quickly decided against it. The only noise that could be heard was the cool refreshing spring breeze blowing in through the widow.

"Tigress," Bane began trying to break the silence. "You have a gift that no one else can possess." Bane turned to face Po and the confused tiger. The female managed a quiet 'okay' and nod encouraging the master of eagle style to explain further. Bane bit his lip then continued, "It has been _inconsistent_ but…you have shown significant signs that one would show if they possessed the spirit of one of the Universal Animals." Po and Tigress eyed one another before Tigress could contain herself, "Master, excuse me but, what are the Universal Animals?" Po jumped forward with excitement, "Oh! I know what they are!" Bane nodded at him to explain. "Legend has it that the three Great Masters: Dragon, Phoenix, and Eagle were all born out of fire and pure energy. Their three spirits were contained in three small flames; waiting for their gifts and powers to be given to those who would save the world." Po was having trouble contain his excitement so Master Bane continued for him. "As it would happen two of my closest friends and I at the time received the gifts or the fires: ultimate strength, wisdom beyond comprehension, speed that no one could ever match, endurance of a god, and in my case immortality." Tigress appeared to be deep in thought, digesting what Bane and Po had just said. "What happened to the others? Your two friends?" Bane turned and leaned on the windowsill. "Dragon and Phoenix? The three of were close. We began our training together and developed each and every move in each in each and every style. As the weeks turned into months and months turned into years we found that the Flames were matched to our personalities. Phoenix was strong, determined, a physical beast. She looked innocent but had a temper and fury not to be messed with. Dragon was studious, protective; he had a gift for redirecting attacks. He was the first to achieve what you know as Inner Peace. Then there was me; the cocky daredevil, the youngest and most reckless of us. I was the first to master all the styles and I wrote the original 10,000 scrolls of Kung Fu, the scrolls which Master Oogway copied the first thousand and placed them inside the Hall of Heroes-" "Wait-wait-wait!" Po interrupted. "You mean that Oogway never invented Kung Fu or the 1,000 scrolls of Kung Fu?" Bane nodded, he seemed to be reminiscing in the memories. "Yes, he was a student of mine….a completely different story…but it seemed if Oogway had had a revelation and invented Kung Fu; it would be more believable than three demigod-like beings who can perform miracles and move mountains." There was slight irritation and impatience laced in Bane's words. He turned to Po, "Oogway was no doubt one of the wisest and kindest men in the entire known world; that is a reason why I chose him as a student, he reminded me of Dragon. But he did not create the Original Kung Fu styles. "Bane sighed, "The reason why I let the world believe Oogway had created Kung Fu was that I was the last one left." Bane's words seemed hollow. Tigress opened her mouth to ask what he meant but was cut off by the Master's harsh words. "After 20 years of successful training, missions, battles, and wars Phoenix and Dragon got married. I soon became a third wheel, of course I did not mind but it was what happened next that made our lives a living hell. It was a normal day being well-spent in Dragon's extensive study. W-we we're contacted by a higher force, the experience was…inconceivable. Time appeared to freeze and we seemed to instantaneously enter a reality that paralleled ours and some sort of spiritual realm. A being appeared before us and began to speak of a prophecy. She praised the three of us for how we had brought peace and prosperity to the world. But she said that the universal balance had been upset. She told us that the world was too full of good and without evil there would be no appreciation of what we had given the world. The being told us that a Fourth would enter the world and would be created out of the shadows and the fears of the people. That his strength, darkness, and abilities would match the three of us combined. Dragon begged the lady to tell us that this was not true, that this would not come to be." Bane paused to gather his thoughts; he licked his lips and lowered his head from the three pairs of eyes watching him intently. "She replied by vanishing and sending us back to our reality." Bane inhaled deeply and tried to calm his thoughts. "Dragon warned us to be cautious. That we should be careful with who we now trust and that we should keep our eyes open."

* * *

**FlashBack**

"Phoenix and I agreed whole heartedly and we decided to test the allegiance of our current friends and allies just to be safe. But at that very moment a new 'issue' was dropped upon our doorstep. _There was a knocking on the door to the study. Phoenix being closest to the door turned to open it. Bane shifted from his leaning position against a pillar, ready for anything. Dragon removed his glasses from his tired face and turned his chair around to face the door. Phoenix opened the door and on the other side was a child around the age of 9. The small boy had deep blue eyes, blond hair, and pale skin. He stood there a moment grasping a knitted scarf firmly in his tiny hands. Eyes darted from the 47 year old woman holding the door, to the 50 year old man in the chair, to the clean shaven 19 year old standing to the right with folded arms. His eyes darted form figure to figure a few more times before mustering the courage to speak."M-masters…I-I wanna learn Kung Fu. Could you…teach me? Please?" _

_ The three Masters turned and looked at one another, their eyes making non-verbal gestures; the Master making their decision and how to respond. After a few brief moments the three Masters nodded and all spoke at once. "Yes." "No." "Yes." The boy appeared confused, he got every answer possible and it was only a 'yes or no' question! The Masters appeared even more confused. Phoenix and Dragon turned to see an emotionless Bane, arms still folded. "No?" questioned Dragon. "Yes…" Bane began. "Ah! Then we're all in agree-""Uh no!" Eagle said walking closer to Dragon till he was in the wise Master's face. "You just told us to be careful with who we trust. Yet you and Phoenix insist on taking in a boy we've never met or heard of before," Bane hissed under his breath. Phoenix and Dragon gave Bane a 'Really?' look and the boy innocently watched from the doorway as the three adults began to bicker. "He's a mere child _Bane_; children are the symbol of purity and innocence." Dragon stated calmly and flatly. "Children are also naïve and can be manipulated the three of us should know that better than anyone; look what we've become and the responsibilities we've had to take on along with this _curse_." Bane countered heatedly. Dragon stood up from his chair. "Let me remind you, _Bane_," Dragon began with a stone cold voice. "Our gifts are not curses; they are just that: gifts along with the responsibility that comes along with them. One such responsibility-," Dragon turned towards the boy in the doorframe. "-would be teaching the youth and raising them to their highest potential." Dragon smiled at the boy, "We would be happy to teach you my boy. Universal Master Phoenix will show you to your quarters." The boy jumped for joy and let out small shrieks of happiness. "Thank you thank you thank you so much Masters! I promise; I'll make you proud!" Phoenix shut the door behind the boy then turned to lead the boy down one of the connecting hallways. The Masters of Eagle style and Dragon style heard Phoenix say something along the lines of 'Follow me' but the pair weren't paying enough attention to listen to anything more. Dragon turned back to Bane with a satisfied expression, Bane had a look of a man on death row. "And that Master Eagle is why we have such '_curses_' which you speak of." Bane just shook his head disapprovingly. "You let a boy in the moment after we experienced that-that….'_**prophecy'**! I'm beginning to question your leadership; I'm beginning to question if I'm the so called 'blind one'."_Before Dragon could retort Eagle stormed off coldly. _

"Months passed after our confrontation, in fact years passed. All the while I refused to train or even talk to the boy; I never even learned his name. The others did quite the opposite; the boy grew on them. In some ways he even replaced me. He ate with them, trained with them, even studied with them. As the boy grew into adolescence he began to study more and more, he began to learn more and more skills and forbidden techniques. In only a few years he had almost mastered every move and skill that Dragon and Phoenix had ever learned. As this happened I watched from the outside, all the while my better judgment telling me something was amiss. So I did the only natural thing I would've done: I began to train harder. I pushed myself to the breaking point, discovering new skills and techniques that Dragon and Phoenix never heard of or learned of. That continued on for a little over two years…..until I was discovered."

_ Eagle was in the middle of a large room resembling the Training Hall at the Jade Palace. He was in a hand-stand like position with his eyes closed. After a few moments of holding the form he began to bend his elbows creating a push-up effect; consistently lifting and lowering his toned body. Every sinew strained and every vein on his body stood out. After only a few repetitions sweat began to stream down his face and his arms began to shake, yet the Master persisted. At that moment Bane became one with everything around him, summoning the power of the universe to keep pushing forward with his training. Eagle could feel the ripple of energy that the midnight breeze carried through the room, he could feel the moths outside beating their wings frantically trying to get to the small lantern lighting the inside of the room. He could even feel the training hall door gently creak open and feel the light, silent footsteps of its opener._

_ There was a moments silence before Bane gave up frustrated. "Yes Phoenix?" he asked in an irritated tone, not breaking his stance. He could now strongly feel her presence and even feel her hesitation once he had called her name. She had been caught. It was a real sad attempt at hiding though: she tried to creep along the darkened corners of the room to try and get a better view at what Eagle was doing late at night. There was another moment of silence. "I can feel your heart beat Phoenix; there's no point in hiding anymore. Besides only you try to creep around and stalk you 'prey' from behind; oh creator of cat styles."_

_ The female warrior finally gave up and crept from the shadows. She was wearing a look of curiosity and amusement. However respect for her fellow Master forced her to be patient and wait for him to finish his exercise. She sat in lotus position a couple of feet away her eyes never leaving Eagle's form. "What are you doing up so late?" questioned the Master of Youth. "I may ask you the same question." The Master of Fury replied. Eagle preformed another repetition. "Training," grunted Eagle."I can see that. But why so late?" "I prefer not to be interrupted while training." Bane explained lamely. Phoenix chewed on her lip, "I know you better than that; you never were or have been so interested in training before." Bane shifted uncomfortably, trying to by time he switched to one arm. "You don't know me as well as you think." Bane managed between breaths. "W-what do you mean? We've grown up the past 50 plus years together, just Dragon, you, and I. We've been friends our whole lives and we've been everywhere together." Her voice sounded upset, hurt, and confused. "You mean after you and Dragon got married I became the third wheel and had to be dragged everywhere you two go. Before you two became 'one' we were equals. Nowadays I'm just an extra whose opinion doesn't matter-""Come on Eagle you know that's not-""It is and you know it!" Bane retorted heatedly. "You two haven't bothered to notice or care about what I think for years! Dragon completely ignored me about taking in that boy and you acted as if I wasn't there." Bane hissed. "You know that boy needed us! How dare you be so inconsiderate!" Phoenix spat back rudely. Bane rolled forward out of his position and stood up. He turned and faced Phoenix, eyes blazing with a fury she had never seen before. For the first time in her life the Master of Intimidation was afraid for her well-being. "Don't you ever accuse me of being such low things!" Eagle said in a dark tone. "Did you or Dragon ever stop and think about why that boy showed up right after that '_**prophecy**_'? Did you ever wonder how he was able to learn and master the highest techniques in a matter of hours when it took us years? Did you two ever take the time to use your 'gifts' to sense his higher motives? Because if you did the two of you did quite a poor job!" "How dare-""NO! How dare you LILLY!" The feminine Master froze; Bane had never addressed her using her real name. "You two have not only treated me as the third wheel, but also like I'm a child! The sad truth is you two make more _childish_ mistakes than I do yet I never criticize the pair of you." Bane turned away from his friend. "You two would never have become Masters if I hadn't discovered the flames and shared them with you two. It was because of ME that you two are in the 'high and mighty' position that you are now. And what do I get in return?" Eagle turned back to his stunned comrade."Do you?!" She shook her head. "I take back seat to two mediocre, idiotic, self-centered, mentally ill,__** old**__, buffoons!" Bane stamped his foot into the ground; the impact formed a 6 inch crater in the floor and caused the whole room to become unstable. The draft from the motion blew out the single lantern lighting the room. _

_ Phoenix stood tears beginning to form in her eyes. Bane looked into her face long and hard. He noticed she was no longer the friend he knew: full of youth and inner strength. No, she had signs of age, exhaustion, and her fiery eyes now seemed dimmer than before. "Why didn't you say something sooner? Instead of channeling the pain into anger and holding it back? Don't you remember our 'preparations'? How anger and rage lead to the path of darkness?" Her voice became emotional and tears began to flow freely from her eyes. The Master of Eagle style turned away sharply. Phoenix reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder but Bane ripped his shoulder out from under her touch. "If you ever cared for me, or ever were my friend Phoenix; you would have never put me through all of THIS. If you still respect me in anyway, anyway at all, you will dismiss you current student. Whether it be honorable or not, he must be gone by tomorrow or I will be instead." On that final note Eagle stormed out of the crumbling room and headed towards his quarters; leaving a heart broken Phoenix behind to decide what to do._

"I should have never done what I had done or said what I said to her. I regret everything that I had done that night to this day. Especially because those were my last words to her. My last words before everything went to hell. As it turns out I was still more valuable to Phoenix than her new student. So valuable that she went to the trouble of waking the boy in the middle of the night and telling him to leave. But as it happens that was a fatal mistake….."

_ Bane had had a surprisingly good sleep that night; no dreams, no nightmares only bliss. He stirred trying to shake off the sleep clouding his mind, but the harder he tried to wake himself, the harder it became to wake up. After what seemed like hours of struggling Bane's eyes finally shot open and once they did he entered a world of pain. His mind and body were suddenly overcome by a wave of mind-splitting pain. The Master tried to cry out but the pain prevented such an action. His mind began to panic: 'what's going on?!' His thoughts and questions were answered as his eyes wandered down his body; a large knife was buried deep into his stomach. _

_ His arm frantically shot forward and grabbed the deadly weapon's handle. Bane's hands and muscles strained trying to pull the weapon out of his stomach. But every time he came close to getting it free he was met by mind splitting pain and his vision clouding with the color red. Time passed along with many fruitless attempts. Then after summoning up all his courage Bane let out a ear-splitting shriek and ripped the 8 inch blade from his gut. After the pain numbed and his vision cleared Eagle examined the long dagger. _

_ It was finely crafted and covered in a dark red liquid from point to hilt. Even the handle was splashed carelessly with his own blood. On the point of the blade Bane noticed a darker, thicker substance clinging to the blade. Running his fingers over the spot the Master collected a sample of the gunk. Bane then proceeded to test the substance by running it in between his tongue and the backs of his upper row of teeth. After a brief few seconds Bane spat the vile liquid from his mouth. 'Hmmm. A poultice of snakeweed and tulsi. Usually meant for 'sleeping kills' after coating the blade and stabbing one with it the attacker can induce sleep then afterwards the snakeweed would kick in and-' Bane stopped dead in his thoughts. This was a lethal mixture. The goodnight's sleep…..was he really….actually….dead? 'Oh no!' he thought. The others! If the assailant meant to get rid of him there was a high chance he wanted to terminate the other residents residing in his home. Namely: Dragon and Phoenix._

_ Bane decided to ponder his luck at seeing another day later. Right now his friends' safety were of bigger concern. Bane leapt from the bed only to find his legs giving out from under him. Letting out a cry of frustration the Master landed on the floor face first pulling a nightstand and small chair down with him. 'My wound is restricting my movements! But I cannot give up!' Bane's mind screamed bloody murder at his limbs to move, but the poison had taken its toll. Eagle managed to roll on his back and face upwards towards the ceiling. Looking to his right Bane could see straight out his widow and into the sky; it was past noon. He might already be too late. _

_ Grunting and struggling in pure determination the warrior managed to find his way to his feet and after a few moments his door. Using one hand to nurse his deep incision and the other to open his door Bane ventured out into the long corridor leading to Dragon's study._

_ Bane stumbled and struggled down the long hall and worked his way into the main study. Once he entered the large room, Taking quick glances around Bane could see the book cases upturned, books were strewn across the floor. The whole room had a singed smell and look to it; books were burns, tables and desks were covered in soot and ash. 'No.' Bane thought. A dark fear gripped the Master's soul; he was all alone._

_ Bane, still nursing his wound, pulled out a blackened chair to sit in. As he sat he took the time to look the new appearance of the room. The various prized, hand written tombs that he had studied from years ago were damaged beyond repair. The desks various scientific instruments owned by Dragon were covered in the ash of books and burned writing paper. The large dome that made up the roof of the study was covered in soot and even now to this moment a few small fires continued to 'read' the books page by page till there was nothing left. Bane began to fall in a trance as a little flame a ate away at the last of the desk paper. The Master thought of his two friends: his family. 'Their gone and I can't bring them back…'_

_ After sitting in the same spot for almost an hour Eagle's hearing picked up a faint noise. A small faint cry graced his ears. Eagle struggled to his feet and listened intently hoping the noise would repeat itself. Moments later it did, but this time in an audible voice. Bane began to walk towards the door that led to the outside world with every step closer to the door the voices grew louder. Reaching the door Bane pressed his ear up against the heavy wooden object , listening to the quiet voices._

_ "…..what do you hope to chain child? By destroying me you also destroy the knowledge that you seek…." 'Dragon!' thought Bane. Eagle's mind began to race faster than a cheetah. "You are no longer useful to me old man. Our battle proved that so. I have learned everything that you and that bitch could have ever taught me….the only other one that could've taught me anything refused to do so…therefore he was of no use to me either." Bane clenched his clenched his jaw, he knew that voice too well. Bane pressed his face up to a small crevice in the oak door. Outside strewn on his back was a bloodied and bruised Dragon. Standing above him was the boy. 'I've got to do something! But I'm in no condition for a fight…..but maybe…' Bane backed away from the door. "You will never get away with the murder of three Masters; you'll be hunted down and you head will be shown to the world as a trophy!" Dragon threatened as he attempted to crawl away. Bane braced himself against an upturned desk. "I'm not afraid! Let them come, that way I can show my true abilities to the world!' Bane used the desk as a spring board; propelling him in to a head long sprint. "Now _Master_ I bid you farewell-"Bane covered his face with his arms, bracing for impact. "-it's such a shame our relationship had to end like this…" The boy raised a hand; filled with blazing fire and prepared to strike the downed Master. Dragon closed his eyes waiting for the final blow…but it never came._

_ The solid oak door that the boy had his back to burst into thousands of splinters as Eagle came crashing through. Before the boy could fully turn to see what was happening he was met with a full body tackle from behind. Eagle and the boy both hit the ground with tremendous force. Bane let out a cry of agony as his wound was the first part of his body to meet the ground. Eagle rolled off the boy who quickly jumped back to his feet. "You?! How?!" shock was evident in his voice. Bane struggled to his feet coughing out dust. "That's what I would like to know…but it seems to me that poison-"Bane drew the dagger that was embedded in him not long ago. "-doesn't have any effect on me. That and you did a terrible job in choosing where to land the final blow." Bane held the dagger a moment longer between two fingers and his thumb. He turned his gaze from the dagger to the boy, at the same time he let the dagger smoothly slide from his grip and implant itself in the dirt. _

_ The Master of Eagle style positioned himself in the Phoenix stance. "Prepare yourself _child_." The adolescent smirked, "She was of no match to me and yet you insist on using her style to try and defeat me; how fool foolish for a master of such….stature." The boy readied himself in his own stance in what appeared to be a blend of Dragon and Phoenix styles."I know about your ability to learn moves once you observe them. However I intend on preventing you from learning anything new." "Oh and how do you intend on doing that Eagle?" The boy questioned. Eagle began to mutter words incoherently under his breath. "….invi…bieal….nokluk…nortush-" The boy lunged forward at the two Masters. "-Nahi!" all of a sudden the Master of Eagle style vanished into thin air leaving both Dragon and the boy stunned. "Where?" "How?" _

_ "As you two can see: I have been training quite a lot recently. And now that you cannot see me-" The boy received a heavy blow across his left shoulder followed by a swift hit to the stomach. The adolescent recovered swiveling his head to try and locate his invisible opponent. No matter how hard he tried though blow after blow came from nowhere. Then the adolescent found himself lifted off the ground by his neck and before him Eagle reappeared. He gave the boy a swift and sharp head butt before throwing him aside like a ragdoll. There was a small crunch of bone as the boy slammed into a blouder. "Leave this place and never come back! Before I kill you." Bane growled fiercely. His eyes were filled with hate. Eagle took his stare and shot back a glare of his own. Each were nursing their own potentially fatal wounds, neither were giving an inch. After a brief moment the boy seemed to heed the Master's words. "This isn't over! I won't let you unjustly kick me out! I had every right to be here as much as you!" he cried. Dragon stood up and braced himself against the wounded Eagle. "You did before you killed one of your own and wounded the others!" Dragon's voice was hoarse but harsh. "This isn't over, I swear it!" On that note the boy turned and left. _

_ The two older Masters stood there watching the road the boy had vanished down. Band and Dragon turned their heads and met each others' gazes. Each had a hard and tired expression. They both turned their heads back to the road still slightly shocked at today's events. Bane inhaled sharply then spat in the direction the boy left in, then turned to limp into the Study. Dragon watched tiredly from behind as his oldest living friend limped angrily back towards the shattered doors. "I-I thought you were dead." was all the Master of Wisdom could manage. "You actually _thought _for once?!" came the harsh reply. "That's been the first time in years." Dragon sighed, he knew about his friend's resentment towards him after ignoring his opinions and him in general, but he never thought it would be this bad. _

**_The next night…_**

_ It had begun to storm fiercely. The sky had been dark all day but only now had the sky opened up. It was around an hour after dinner and it was easy to tell that the sun had gone down behind the thick cloud covering. The only light in the sky was the occasional lightning bolt crackling across the sky. Two men stood outside the famous Universal Masters' Study. They both were both wearing brown cloaks but each had a sash of a different color; one emerald green and one royal purple. _

_ "….And what do you plan on doing once you catch him?" The figure with the purple sash asked._

_ "I'm not sure but he must be brought to justice for what he has done Dragon." The figure with the emerald sash replied. _

_ "How typical of you; never thinking ahead! Why do you always have to be so reckless Eagle?!" asked Dragon in an irritated voice. _

_ "I wouldn't have to be doing this if you would have thought in the first place and listened to me!" Eagle responded angrily._

_ "Well I-" "And on top of that Phoenix would still be here. " "Yes but-" Eagle cut off the Master of Wisdom with a raised hand, thunder rumbled in the distance. "No." Eagle began firmly, "It is time I no longer suffer for _your _mistakes. It's time for you to suffer the loneliness I suffered as you and Phoenix trained the boy. You and her never talked to me or spent any time with me and now there is no one left to pity you. I certainly don't." Bane turned his back to Dragon. Lightning flashed and thunder crackled in the sky above them. "Why save me then if you only wished to punish me?" Dragon asked in a solemn voice. "Wasn't it you who taught me that in order for one to learn what is right and what is wrong;, they must be punished when they have done wrong. You are injured and you never heal as fast as I do. The injuries the boy gave you shall bed you up for weeks then factor in your age: you are not fit to travel." Eagle hesitated, trying to find the right words to make his point. "You shall unwillingly spend time alone, perhaps you will then understand how I felt." "You realize that friends don't do this to one another." "Friends also don't ignore each others' opinions for years or treat them like children their entire lives! They don't mock them or call them stupid! And they certainly don't ignore them for years without even speaking to one another, in the same damn house!" Dragon froze and lightning streaked across the sky. "You wouldn't have become the legendary Dragon without me discovering the Flames and sharing them in the first place and had you listened to me you wouldn't have trained Phoenix's assassin and you're almost killer. I should have let him finish you old one! As you began to grow older you also became more arrogant; you believe you know all yet you're blind to the obvious!" Thunder rumbled in the behind the pair. "Where will you go?" asked Dragon, his voice now sounded old and frail. "I will push him west, till I catch him, destroy him, or drive him into the vast ocean. I shall come back periodically ever five years to check your health, but it will not even be long enough to day the night." Thunder once again boomed behind the two. "D-do you think things will ever return back to the way they were before….before the boy?" Dragon's voice cracked. "No…not without Phoenix….not without the trust….and not without our friendship." Bane stopped for a moment. "Good bye Dragon…may fortune guide you." And with that the Master of Youth left, leaving a broken old man behind. _

"That was the last I saw of Dragon. You may ask: did you regret anything you said to _him_. My answer would be no. I said I regret everything I said to Phoenix, she was a friend to the end, but Dragon…he _was_ a friend before he let the title go to his head. He created a monster and a mess that I was left to clean up. What happened to Dragon? I found him deep in eternal sleep in his Study's chair. All the events that occurred afterwards were history. I helped found a group of warriors destined to destroy the boy we soon named Shadow. We grew in strength and numbers and soon pushed his back to the sea. Then after years of fighting Shadow gained strength and began to turn the tables. We began to lose ground and men. Soon we lost towns, cities, and even countries. And now it is up to us; China is the last country in the world large enough and strong enough to route or destroy Shadow and his army."

* * *

**Back to the present…**

"So what can we do?" asked Po innocently. The giant panda looked around Shifu's room with curiosity. Bane was still staring out the window in a trance while Tigress and Shifu sat on his bed deep in thought. "The only thing we can Dragon Warrior: prepare for war." Bane turned with a grim expression on his face. Tigress turned towards Bane. "So if I'm the next Phoenix….what are these 'preparations' and what do they have do with me? You did mention them briefly in your story. ""Indeed I did…you will learn more about them tomorrow. Tonight however you are going to meditate and sleep; you're going to need all the energy you can muster for tomorrow. It will be the beginning of the most painful time of your life." Tigress showed a quick look of nervousness before hiding behind her famous 'mask' again. "You and Po are dismissed Tigress." Bane continued in a softer tone. "Go eat and rest up for tomorrow. If you need anything Shifu and I will be here for a while longer. ""Good, I could go for something to eat." Po said in his natural good-natured manner. Both Tigress and Po stood up simultaneously and bowed in respect to their superiors before turning and leaving the quarters silently.

"So you up for some of my dad's world famous secret ingredient soup Tigress?" Po asked twiddling his thumbs. After defeating Tai Lung and Shen Po had earned the tigresses' respect and her friendship. She was no longer afraid to express herself around Po, sure she would reserve herself a lot o the time, but she would also show her sweeter and softer side to the Dragon Warrior as well. "No Po," Tigress said with a small smile. "I think I'm going to take Master Bane's advice and skip dinner for meditation. Then I'll head to bed early.""Oh okay…I guess I'll go and fetch the others." Po and Tigress separated ways, Po taking the small path up towards the barracks and kitchen while Tigress continued to walk down the crest of the hill below the Palace towards the Peach Tree.

'I'm lucky to have friends like Po and the others, they all care for who I am…even if I am the 'hardcore'.' Tigresses' face turned serious, 'I must do whatever it takes to protect them from this Shadow and his wrath.' Tigress sat herself underneath the Peach Tree in a lotus position. She began to clear her mind and focus the flow of energy through her body.

**Two hours later…(After dinner)…**

Tigress was still under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom meditating. Her entire body felt relaxed and peaceful. It was most likely the closest Tigress had ever been to inner peace in her life; and it felt great! She felt as if her concentration was beyond breakable, till her nose caught a delicious smell and her ears caught the pitter-patter of heavy feet. "Mind if I join you?" asked a familiar voice. Her ear twitched in annoyance out of habit, but she managed to change her voice into a calm tone. "Yes Po you may." A faint smile crossed her lips but vanished as quickly as it appeared.

The Master of Tiger style could hear the panda sit down and lean his large figure against the ancient tree. It gave a few creaks under his weight but refused to move even a millimeter. She heard a solid knock followed by the falling of a few peaches. "Still not full I see." smirked the tiger. "When will I ever be?" the panda joked back. There was a pause, the silence only disrupted by the munching of peaches before the Panda's curiosity got the best of him. "So how does it feel to be chosen to be one of the most powerful beings on the planet?" Tigress opened her eyes and chewed her lip trying to think of an appropriate answer. "I'm not quite sure what to think. I know that this will be a, in a term you would understand, 'awesome' responsibility, but I have always taken such duties seriously.""But aren't you worried about the pain you'll suffer? And even so aren't you even the slightest bit excited about what you will learn?" Po asked. Tigress thought for another moment. "Nervous and excited yes, but as for the pain; Po I have already suffered a lot in my life time and a little more wouldn't exactly hurt.""Oh….right…I forgot."The Panda looked out over the Valley. It was just after sunset and all the villagers were beginning to head home and cook dinner. Some families had already turned in early and the mood was just so serene.

Po turned his gaze back to his hardcore friend. "You realize in a sense you'll now get what you've always wanted." Po began. "Oh?" came the intrigued tiger's reply. "Yes, you won't be the Dragon Warrior; instead you'll be even more powerful." Tigress could hear a hint of jealousy and sadness in the panda's tone. "And this bothers you?" She could feel the panda nod behind her back. "A little," he admitted. "I always thought the Dragon Warrior was supposed to be the most powerful _existing_ warrior; I always thought that Dragon, Eagle and Phoenix were just legends. But now that I've been proven wrong, I'm no longer the best or fastest or strongest….or smartest for that matter." Tigress chuckled, "Indeed you have never been the brightest." Po laughed a little himself. "Regardless, now I'm overshadowed by not just one but two warriors: you and Master Bane. If that's so then I lose control as leader of the Five, next in line for the Grandmaster position at the Palace, etc. It's not just the title and glory Tigress; you know more about that than anyone else.

It was true; of course Po never really led the Five however he naturally assumed the leadership role along with his title as his skills progressed. It was only when he made a mistake or screwed up when Tigress and her experience took over. But now that she would become the Phoenix, she would be in command of the Five and Po and even Master Shifu! Also if she decided that her duties kept her confined mostly to China; her high status would allow her to become the next Grandmaster of the Jade Palace instead of Po. She might even be bold enough to proclaim herself more powerful than the emperor himself, but that of course would not happen until her training was complete.

Tigress stood and turned to face her comrade. It was one of the rare occasions where he was, in a word depressed. His expression showed an extreme level of disappointment as well as a hint of misery. It was very rare the panda happened to be in such a mood, especially now that he had obtained inner peace. "Po you realize that as the Dragon Warrior you have already accomplished as much as a normal master would accomplish in a life time of training. I mean you've only been Dragon Warrior for a little less than two years." The Panda nodded but refused to look her way. She bent down to his level and tried to look him in the eyes. "You're a true warrior Po and no matter how people view you, you've already secured yourself a place among the legends." A faint smile crossed Po's lips, "Thank you Tigress.""No Po. Thank you.""For wh-"Before the giant panda could finish his thought Tigress folded her arms behind her head, spun around, and let herself fall back onto the fluffy pillow that was Po's stomach. Po let out a startled yelp but a second afterwards he relaxed and mimicked the tiger by folding his own arms behind his head.

Time passed as the two friends watched the stars together and felt the cool breeze blow through their fur. "It's a lovely night Po." Yes," began the panda. Before the tiger could react her body from her hips to her chest was engulfed by two furry arms. "Yes it is." The panda finished. This was the true definition of a bear hug. "Haven't….hugged much….you know." Tigress barely managed to get out. The panda's embrace was tight, but she didn't mind, in fact she enjoyed it to a point where she began to fully smile. "I know." replied the bear, burying his face in her right shoulder. "But that's why we're getting you more experience."

The pair stayed there in their embrace for what felt like hours but truly was only a few minutes. Tigress could feel something deep down begin to burn with a fire that she had never felt before. She felt herself trying to figure out this new feeling; trying to explain it, to determine if it was good or bad. She craned her neck and arched her back so that her face came to meet Po's. Her eyes observed his face; his eyes were closed and his expression was that of pure happiness. Feeling the feline shift under his embrace Po lifted his head and opened his eyes, only to find that he was now nose to nose with his friend. Both of their expressions were graced with a red tint under their eyes and along their cheeks.

Tigress tugged at her instincts, trying to figure out what she should do in such a situation. Her heart began to race and her mind began to panic. In haste the tiger rolled from the panda's grasp and onto the ground beside him. "I-I'm sorry Po…I don't know what came over me." Tigress explained lamely. "Me neither…" came Po's reply, an embarrassed tone laced his words. The two turned away from one another their cheeks burning pink as spring roses. Tigress was the first to summon her inner courage; she turned back to Po, who soon met her gaze.

Tigress could make out her friend's emerald eyes in the darkness of the night. The stars could be seen reflecting from his pair of green gems. And they were simply…mesmerizing. But there was something new that Tigress had never seen before in Po's eyes; something different than his usual happy, bright eyes. There wasn't his normal spark, that fire inside-wait a moment…that's it!

"Po?" Tigress was cautious of her next few words to the panda. "Yes?""Po there's something different about you tonight.""Yes?" came a slightly more enthusiastic response. Tigress began to stumble over her words, "It-it's not….argh…." Tigress bit her lip in frustration. Tigress couldn't find her words, she indeed felt something for her friend, and tonight had shown that, but that was not what she was trying to get him to understand at this moment in time. What was most important at this moment was trying to get Po to understand what she was seeing in him physically. "Po what I'm trying to explain or tell you can't be explained with words, err, so to speak." Po's brow furrowed with confusion. "Huh?" Tigress let out an exasperated sigh, "You know what, let's find you a mirror Po. Then maybe you'll understand what I'm trying to point out."

Tigress stood and grasped Po's right paw in hers and began to lead the confused Panda back into the Palace.

* * *

**:)**

_"The most difficult thing to explain in life is the simplest truth called love."_

_"Love is when you look into someone's eyes and go all the way: to their soul and you both know…instantly!"_

** As you all requested (awhile ago) you wanted me to begin the Ti x Po….and so I have. XD I will warn everyone: the Ti Po and Vi Cr will continue to get stronger as the story goes. (Promise) To all those who have stuck around this long: thank you so frickin' Muuuuuch! J Please leave comments and reviews… **

** The next chapter I plan to make mostly from the opposite side's view to give you motives and reasons and more story/foreshadowing. (Shadow's side) **

** A few darker things will be revealed next chapter and something you may not have expected. Also it was pretty cool to see the darker side of Bane, wasn't it? (Foreshadowing? You'll have to find out Mwhahahah! I'm evil.)**

** Shout outs to my two loyal readers/reviewers! (Darkknight1013 and Simba593)**

** Also I am taking suggestions for a second story. It can be another KFP or another type of Fanfic….or original…go ahead and leave a comment. I also encourage comments from anons and guests; your opinions are valuable too! **

** Last thing I don't plan on making, in a word: shitty, chapters. Or short extremely short ones….I apologize for most the earlier ones….I rushed them instead of taking my time. Thanks for your understanding. :) **


	14. Chapter 14

Kung fu Panda 3: The Shadow, The Eagle, The Dragon, The Phoenix

** If you like the story: please leave a comment. Guest or not, your opinion/ideas are always looked at enjoyed, and thought about. J Thanks! **

** Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All characters (excluding OC's) are property of Dreamworks Animation. **

Chapter 14: A Darker Side

POV: No one

The snow storm swirled around the snowy mountain caps. The temperature was far below freezing and those who were smart had found anyway they could to stay warm. While others who were less fortunate, ended up slowly freezing to death; buried under the quickly accumulating snow. Some of those who were still warm-blooded ran the high risk of hypothermia. These were the conditions and problems of the Army of Shadows faced. Their leader, General Shadow, had decided it would be quicker to march over the mountainous terrain in pursuit of his oldest rival. The sad fact was the terrible storms slowed their advance down to the point where it would have been faster to march around the entire range! They had lost more men and supplies to the snow and blizzards than to any other army that has tried to fight them in the past.

One man understood this fatal error more than anyone else; the General himself. The general trudged through the deep snow accompanied by one of his lieutenants. "…this is why I wanted the shelters finished first you idiot! I cannot be the leader of a dead army!" the General's voice could be heard above the howling wind. "But sir! We cannot keep building shelters every time we move; it would double our time up here in these mountains, especially in these damned conditions!" Shadow turned on him. "Rather double our time than lose half our forces; we've already lost close to 25,000 men and 5 tons of supplies. We may have an army of five million lieutenant, but you must remember that five million is nowhere near infinite." The General continued to walk through the almost waist high snow, stumbling over rocks, frozen bodies, and ruined supplies and materials. The General stopped for a moment, a ping of emotion showed in his purely evil heart. 'What a waste,' he thought. His men were the only thing that Shadow ever felt anything for, anything besides hate at least. He wouldn't go as far to say he had compassion towards his men, but he felt remorse for those that died. 'Pity,' was the General's last thought as he turned back towards his cave-quarters.

* * *

Because his army had barely advanced, the same head quarters he had established a week or two ago remained his current nerve center. It was sad, no embarrassing how the most powerful army in the world was being beaten by a little wind and tiny snowflakes. Shadow grumbled as he stepped inside the dark entrance. He was quickly growing tired of the biting cold. Even inside the fire heated cave, the cold air raced through the cavern in huge gusts. The icy air stung at his lungs and bit at his nose. 'This weather is unsuitable for any creature on this planet' thought the General.

The large figure descended deeper into his head quarters. After walking blindly for a few moments the route soon became visible in the faint torch light. Shadow picked one of the torches off the wall and held it close to his dark face. Even being a being of pure dark energy, Shadow still had mortal deficiencies; he needed warmth after the outside air reached a certain temperature. Hell, he could survive in worse conditions than most but the extreme cold was one of his weaknesses; it slowed him and made him feel weary. The faint glow of the torch and the smell of burning wood reminded the General of all the places he had conquered, all of the places he had burned. All those innocent people who burned alive, it brought a smile to his face.

The large being turned and began to continue his decent downward, using his torch to guide the way. The dark caverns echoed with the drips of water and….voices. Faint voices echoed further down the large corridor. Each was unique and familiar. Each belonged to someone whose evil matched his. Each belonged to one of his new allies. _'They may be annoying, but they may be the edge I need to finish off China'_, Shadow smiled at the thought of being supreme ruler of the whole world. Oh how it made his evil heart flutter! Before the General could further enjoy his happy thoughts, two distinct voices cut through his imagination like daggers.

"You idiot! You child! You have never commanded an army, let alone a group of thugs. How could you possibly know what you're talking about?!" came the scratchy voice of an old man. There was a second's pause followed by an irritated roar. "I am far superior to you old one! I am a Master of Kung fu. I took on entire armies by myself, while you, you hide behind an army of mangy wolves!" A series of clatters and grunts followed and could be heard down the corridor. '_What now?_' thought the irritated Shadow. The General quickened his pace and raced into the room, graced by quite the sight. A scrap had ensued soon after the argument had peaked. Shadow found his two new allies rolling around on top of one another trying to gain the upper hand.

Instead of breaking up the fight Shadow proceeded to walk calmly over to the back wall to hang his torch in a holder. Then Shadow turned and picked up a few maps and materials that had been flung during the pathetic feud. The General calmly placed the items back in their respected places on a stone slab that served as a make-shift table. Now that everything had been put back in its respected place Shadow had only two other 'things' to put back in their places. The Master of Darkness cleared his throat as load as he could to try and win the attention of the scrappers, but to his misfortune it was to no avail. With his patience starting to run thin the General stooped to a hushed and irritated voice; "Either you two end your fighting or I will end you two." His words silenced the two combatants who showed resentment towards his words by giving him menacing looks. "Good," the Master of Darkness continued brushing off such signs of hostility. "Now back to more pressing matters; have either of you fools found a better way for us to advance quicker through this hostile terrain, or have either o you worked out a strategy of what to do when we arrive in China?" Both of the men looked at one another before the old man stepped forward towards the Dark Lord. "A fool eh? You consider me to be an average buffoon? Let me make this clear to you; I am of royal descent and you shall address me as such." The old man smirked, "Besides if you had no real use for my genius then you would not have brought me here.""Correction," Shadow interrupted. "I brought you back in order to make my task easier, effortless, but if you refuse my _generous_ offer, then I could always send you back."

The old man flinched at the General's words. "Fine," the old man finally said. The old one began to strut over to the make-shift table, upon it laid a detailed map of the world and an even more detailed map of China. On the map were little icons and figurines that represented cities, factions, numbers, walls, traps, types of troops, strongholds and other strategic details. "China's imperial army is currently our biggest threat," began the old man. "With our current pace of advance we won't reach China for another two, possibly three months and it would take months more to march on and take the capital." The old man placed both of his hands down onto the table and looked it all over. "Also, the imperial army is commanded by some of the finest warriors in China. They number around 100,000, this doesn't include the elite guards of the emperor and bureaucrats." The old man looked up from his map and let his eyes rest on Shadow. "There is good news however; most of China's forces are spread thin; protecting its boundaries."

"So if we were to punch through quickly they would be helpless to stop us."

"Indeed."

"It's all wonderful in theory," the young one interrupted. "But you forget a key factor; the various Kung Fu Masters of China. To begin with there is the Council of Masters; in which is made up of Kung Fu legends and deeply respected warriors and soldiers. If any of them remain then it has 'rebellion' or 'coup' written all over it. Second there are the other Masters that are spread throughout China, traveling or protecting a specific village or city or even a stronghold. These Masters are strong enough to take down hundreds even thousands of troops before being defeated or fleeing to a new hiding spot. You must root them out quickly before they can organize themselves or understand the issue of our threat."

Shadow nodded his head and scratched his chin. "Indeed, the Masters of China poise a great threat. However I've already had to deal with a similar issue back in the Mediterranean and Holy Lands; I've experienced with rooting out threats. Do you know of any of their locations?" The young one nodded, "Yes, when I studied in China years ago I was forced to memorize the vast network of Masters and their locations. It may be a little dated, due to possible deaths or newcomers, but in all I have memorized most of the Masters' locations.""Show me," ordered Shadow, pointing his finger at the maps. The young man picked up colored beads and placed them in cities, towns, on some land marks, and even in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Each bead he placed represented the number and general location of the Masters. "These are the ones I am quite certain of, but there may be some new ones here and there." Shadow looked over the younger one's shoulder. "We must plan a raid after we have established a strong hold in China, so that we may make a simultaneous strike and put down the Masters before they know what hit them." The young one nodded, 'Yes but there is another, more powerful than the rest you must not underestimate…." The young warrior picked up a single gold bead, the only one in such a color scheme and slammed it down in a small village where six other colored beads had been placed. "This is the Dragon Warrior; the most powerful warrior in all of China. He may even match your skills Shadow."Shadow shook his head, "No. There is only one other man left on this earth who can match me.""Either way," The young one continued. "He must be dealt with extreme _prejudice_." Shadow only nodded and drew a dagger from his belt. He ran his thumb along the sharp end of the blade, admiring the blacksmith's handiwork. Then without hesitation slammed the blade into the village's name, driving the blade into the stone table.

The older man watched the sight unfold from across the table. He, himself was feared and known to be one of the most vile men in all of China, but this man named Shadow; he was more a demon than a mortal. The old man readjusted his silk robe then quickly did his best to change Shadow's focus, "Right now, I used to lead an army of wolves who were loyal yet quite viscous. If we were to send messengers into China we could rally the remnants of my army to our cause." The old man's proposal lifted some heads. Shadow clearly seemed interested, "How many are left of your 'army'?"

"It is just an estimate, but roughly several thousand. We could easily hunt down their relatives and recruit more, if desired."

"They would betray China for our cause?"

"Indeed, if you offered them the right _incentives_."

"They're loyal?"

"Depends on how big your pocket book is and what you taste in women is like."

Shadow laughed with maniacal joy,"Excellent! I would _love_ to become further acquainted with your men. We shall send messengers ahead as soon as we reach the end of the mountain range. But it will be your task you old _bird_ to prepare the letters." The old man nodded and turned to leave towards his chambers. "I will get started immediately." Before the old man could take his leave a dagger embedded itself in the wall right beside his head. "Not yet! We still have further issues to attend to, such as this," Shadow placed a finger on a narrow passageway close to their current position. "What is it?" He questioned. This time it was the young one who stepped forward, "It is Qin pass; a heavily fortified wall protecting the entrance to China from the very mountain pass we are on. It has one to two thousand soldiers defending it at a time. It's also loaded with traps; it's one of China's best defensive achievements."

"So what are our chances of taking it by brute force?"

"It is possible but it would be very costly. Even with our sheer numbers and technological superiority it could take a week of full frontal assault to conquer it. Its forces are some of the best in China and they are commanded by Commander Rhino, cousin of Legendary Thundering Rhino. "

Shadow nodded. This put him in a tough position; he had to either risk losing a lot of time and men trying to break down this obstacle or risk it and try to retrace their steps back through the mountains and find a new way into China. But if he tried to find another way in his rival Master Bane would have already warned and prepared most of China for his coming; he doesn't have a second choice. "We must take the wall by force, and then we can use it as our strong hold in China; build a proper barracks, camp, and headquarters. But we must be quick with taking it, if it takes us too long and costs us too many supplies and men we may not be able to finish off the rest of China."

Both of Shadow's allies nodded at their agreement. Their plan came down to hourly timing; if one part of their plan failed they would lose. But if they managed to make it into China their chances for success would skyrocket. "Are there any other lose ends we have to deal with?" Shadow questioned. The others remained silent. "Fine, then after we have arrived in China we move on a direct path towards Peking* and Gongmen; in the process we'll need to pass through the Valley of Peace to restock our rations. Any questions? No?" The others remained silent. "Then it's settled, off to your intended duties." Shadow waved them off but neither moved. "Well what is it?" Shadow demanded impatiently. The old man was first to speak, "I just wish to clarify that after you have taken over China that Gongmen and the province of China will be placed under my authority….""…And," interrupted the young one. "What is rightfully mine will be given to me; revenge on those who betrayed me!" Shadow nodded, "Yes these things and more will be granted to you come my victory, now away with you two; I have more pressing matters to attend to." With those words the pair left back to their chambers to plan for the coming invasion.

* * *

If it was acceptable Shadow would've retired to his chambers for some much needed rest however there was one issue he had not yet dealt with. Shadow walked over to the wall where he had placed his torch, retrieved it and stood in the doorway of his map room. From there the General walked down a small corridor to a dead end opening. Inside the opening was a small dimly lit room. The room contained another stone slab that mimicked the map room. However this room was different; instead of the room being covered in maps, it was covered in blood.

"How are you fairing in here Quon? How does it feel to be coated in your own filthy blood?" Shadow mocked. The figure chained to the stone slab stirred, "Fuck you, you bastard.""Ah! Defiant till the end I see. You realize I can take you life so easily?" The brave tiger summoned all of his inner courage. "You have as much a right to take my life as I have the right to take yours, filth!" Shadow chuckled and lit the torches along the back wall, the room instantly brightened. The tiger hissed at the sudden change in light. "Tell me Quon, how does it feel to lose everyone you love, everyone you care about; your wife, your best friend…your daughter?" Shadow smiled evilly.

Quon's eyes opened, "Sh-she's….dead?" Shadow nodded despicably, "Yes your daughter died the same night we invaded your kingdom all those years ago." Tears began to form in Quon's eyes. "Your friend Bane tried to protect her, but he was over powered. One of my men stabbed him clean through the heart and the cycle of rebirth was broken. He cried out that we should spare the child but my men laughed." Shadow leaned in and began to whisper in Quon's ear, "The last thing your daughter saw through her tear stained eyes as she sat in her god uncle's pool of blood, was my blood stained blade as it took her head clean off her body." It was too much for Quon, "Noooooooo! You bastard! Free me from these chains and I shall show you how cruel one can really be!" The tiger's fury was startling even to the Master of Evil himself. But the General quickly regained his composure, "You are quite the spirited one aren't you? I can change that." Shadow stood up then threw three well placed blows at Quon's jaw. On the third blow the sickening crunch of bone could be heard. Shadow firmly gripped Quon's broken jaw and forced the man to look him directly in the eyes. "Had enough yet?" asked the General. There was a second's pause before Shadow got his answer; a face full of saliva and blood.

Shadow wiped the blood from his face. He tightened his grasp on Quon's jaw and began to squeeze till he could feel the shattered bones start to give way. Quon began to shriek in agony. "Now I'm angry," Shadow said in a menacing voice. Shadow quickly looked over the malnourished tiger's body and found a weakness. About an inch above the tiger's heart was the head of an arrow wedged into the flesh. Seizing the opportunity Shadow placed his index finger on the end of the head and began to push it further into Quon's flesh. The tiger began to scream bloody murder at the top of his lungs and began to fade in and out of consciousness. Red flashed through the former king's vision as Shadow grabbed Quon's head with two hands and then smashed the back of his head into the cold stone slab. Quon began to pray to the gods, believing this was the end but before Shadow delivered the final blow, he stopped.

Quon laid there for a moment trying to regain what was left of his senses. His nose and jaw were shattered beyond repair. His head was bleeding from the back and his ears were ringing. "My intent was not to kill you," Shadow began. "But instead to bring you into the light of truth." Quon spat out a little blood blocking his throat. "What truth could you possibly know?" Shadow smirked, "I know many things, but the one important detail is that you have been told one of the greatest lies of all time." Quon rolled his eyes in an irritated fashion, "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about the day my army invaded your kingdom; the day your friend Bane said he could only save either your daughter or wife." Quon shook his head, "And he made the right choice; to save my daughter." "Ah! But don't you find it strange that an all powerful being such as him couldn't save _both_ of them?" "What are you trying to say?" "What I'm 'trying to say' is: your so called _friend_ chose to let your wife die; he could've saved them both." The tiger's eyes narrowed, "Prove it."Shadow gave a bow like a stage performer, "And so I shall…"

The large Master of Darkness placed a both his hands gently on the broken head of Quon. The General's eyes began to glow a blackish-purple hue and he began to chant incoherently. Numbness befell Quon's body. The Dark Lord and the tiger began to glow purple. Quon began to feel nervous and was beginning to wish he hadn't been so brave as to ask for proof. The tiger looked up at the ceiling one last time, then back to his captor. Shadow finished his chant; there was a white flash and then nothing.

* * *

Bane awoke gasping for air; he had had terrible nightmares that night. The Master looked himself over to make sure he was truly awake. He checked himself for the symptoms of reality; cold sweat, pulse, and of course feeling pain, yes they were all there. However the difficulty for the ancient Master was he had all the same symptoms in his dreams as well, for usually his dreams mimicked and predicted reality the night before! It was quite the gift, but at most times it was purely a curse. Bane rubbed the sleep from his eyes and peered out his window. The darkness that greeted his eyes told him it was midway between midnight and dawn. Giving a tired sigh the Master regrettably uncovered himself and slipped from his bed. In his haze the Master had come to realize there was no use in trying to go back to sleep, instead he focused on something more important; tea. Oh how he loathed tea, but it did wake one up when they needed a spring in their step.

Bane wrapped himself in a white silk robe that one of the villagers had made for him. After the revealing of his identity thanks to a certain panda, the town's people found it necessary to shower him with gifts. One of such gifts was a new robe, embroidered with read and silver trimmings that mimicked the patterns on his cloak. But his favorite feature to the robe; a hood. _'Now I can kill in my sleep'_ thought the Master the first time he put it on. Bane slid the door open to his room and peered down both ends of the hall. He proceeded to slip quietly down the hall towards the kitchen making sure not to arouse any other residents from their sleep. After exiting the sleeping quarters section of the barracks Bane turned right into the kitchen and as he was about to step fully into the room he froze.

Inside the kitchen were the sleeping forms of Tigress and Po. '_What _are_ they doing in here?'_ thought Bane angrily. '_I specifically told that girl to get a lot of sleep for today.'_ Bane snuck closer to the pair. Tigress was clearly asleep, the elbow of her right arm was propped up by the table and her head rested in her palm. Across the table from her was Po. The poor Panda had laid his head down on the table using his folded arms as a pillow. Bane noticed the empty tea cup next to Po and then saw the still half full cup of tea that rested in his niece's left hand. Bane dipped his finger in the cold tea then tasted it. The Master instantly reacted to the taste; spitting and making awkward faces, 'Jasmine' he thought. He made a mental note: Tigress like Jasmine tea, also Jasmine tea puts Po to sleep.

The Master of Eagle style gave the gentle feline a nudge; nothing. He gave her a second, light tap to the shoulders, this time her eyes creaked open. The feline peered tiredly at Bane then looked at Po, then back to Bane. "Uncle," she said tiredly. The tone in her voice suggested she wanted to tell him something but Bane hushed her. "Not now my niece, let's get you back to bed." Bane gently pried the half full cup from her tight grasp then wrapped her in his robe and proceeded to walk her back towards her room. Once they reached her room Bane slid the door open and picked Tigress up bridal-style and laid her in her bed. "But uncle Po…." Bane hushed her, "I will go and sit with him, get some rest, you will thank me later." Not wanting to give her a proper chance to wake up or argue Bane left quickly and snuck back into the kitchen.

Inside Po was still sound asleep giving off a quite snore every so often. Bane smiled amused, and then turned to get what he had originally intended to obtain on his mission to the kitchen. The Master picked up the clay tea pot which was still half full with Jasmine tea, opened a window and tossed out the old tea. Then he picked out a few new leaves from a cabinet, and took some of the left over water which had been still simmering over an open flame from the last batch and waited. Tea, he thought; the nastiest tasting drink on the planet. It took back seat to that much more exotic drink he had found on one of his more recent travels. What was it called? Coffee? Coffee had a much more bitter taste than the tart tea. It was the bitterness he enjoyed; after all there is a difference between bitter and tart. He just found the fruity tartness of tea grotesque. But if coffee was not available then tea was an acceptable substitute, besides if the sugars and caffeine in the tea didn't wake him up, then the foul taste would.

After a few minutes the tea was finished and Bane poured himself a cup of the steaming liquid. He sat down in the same spot where Tigress had been across from Po and waited. Bane began to ponder the importance of his life; he did this from time to time but he never understood why. '_Why was I so hasty in choosing my fate?_' Voices from the past burned into Bane's mind, ''…_Are you sure you desire to become such a thing? Being a hero is a lifelong commitment and you shall never get the chance at a normal life ever again….''Yes ma'am, I'll do whatever it takes to be a hero; it's my dream to become one!''But you are only a child young one….what do you know about helping people?''I know helping people is doing whatever it takes to make them smile, and I would as have actually done something to save my parents from…''_ NO! It was too much; Bane shook his head roughly trying to get the memory from his mind. If only he had listened to the phantom lady; '_…if you never wanted to be immortal in the first place then why were you so rash with your decisions?' said Dragon. 'Because I was only a child!' Bane defended himself. 'Just like you to act like a child Bane….so, so immature….'_ Bane took a sip of his tea. Dragon was right too; he was immature, he had to learn the hard way that being a warrior, a hero was more than meets the eye. Bane pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed it between his index finger and thumb. Then he dragged his hand down his face, feeling the beard that had begun to grow since his stay at the Palace. He mentally noted that he would have to shave before the ceremony.

Bane shook his head and blinked his eyes in desperation; trying to keep himself awake. '_The ceremony_,' he thought. Bane glanced at Po's sleeping form, '_Tigress will be initiated into the Universal Master lifestyle. She'll have to give up…'_ "Love…." He finished aloud. Bane could sense what was going on between the tiger and panda; they might not yet know it but the universe had something planned for them. Bane could sense this, but at the same time once Tigress becomes a Universal; love must be cast aside. But then why was there something missing, like there was a looper he couldn't see coming. Bane swallowed hard, ' She'll be just like me: gifted beyond imagination but forever…' "Cursed." He finished aloud again.

Bane closed his eyes slowly and let out a tired sigh, "Good morning Master Shifu." There was a pause followed by the light shuffle of feet. "Good morning, may I?" The Master made a motion towards the chair beside Bane. "Of course," Bane replied not taking his eyes off of Po's sleeping form. He heard the chair slide noisily along the wood floor and then herd Shifu sit down. "Jasmine?" asked the red panda. The Master of Eagle style nodded. "May I?""Help yourself." Bane handed the still steaming pot to the older Master. Eagle could hear the contents of the pot pour out into the small tea cup. He could smell the aroma of the fresh tea as the steam wafted into his face. "Now, may I ask Master Bane: who or what were you referring to when you said 'cursed'?" Bane looked down at his cup and began to swirl its contents, "The way I live."

Master Shifu's ears twitched, "I'm sorry, what?" Bane heaved a deep sigh, "I was referring to the way I live; I'm cursed.""What do you mean?""I'm gifted in fighting and knowledge, but there are privileges that only normal people get to enjoy." Shifu nodded understandingly, "Such as?" Bane downed the last of his tea and gagged at the taste, "Peace, simplicity, normality….love….a family." "This bothers you?" "Yes…it has always bothered me. I made the decision to become who I currently am in haste. But worst of all is now Tigress won't be able to experience normality, simplicity, or love….just like me." Shifu nodded "I understand what you mean. My first adopted child, Tai Lung, I wanted him to feel love, to be a normal happy child." Bane noticed the pain in Shifu's voice. "When he showed interest in Kung Fu I thought that we would have something that connected us. I promised him that he would be the best at Kung Fu and the best at…everything. But when Oogway refused to give him the Dragon Scroll-" Shifu's voice cracked. "He destroyed everything…I couldn't stop him. I-I made him into a monster, someone who would never get to experience the joys of life; a person filled with hate." Shifu cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his composure. "My point is I understand how you feel. However, I cannot speak for you but, Tigress from a young age vowed to do what is right no matter what the cost; even if it leads to her demise. She is my daughter and everyday she goes into combat, I worry about her yes but, she made a commitment to the people of China and the world."

Bane nodded and let the wise Master's words sink in. "Listen Master Bane, I know that I will never comprehend the suffering you have been through over the years but I do know this. On the inside you still have the heart and courage of a youth. But the cause of your suffering is that the weight of the world is on your shoulders; a youth's shoulders." Bane could only nod in agreement. "I ask you Master Bane, will you be able to grow up when the time comes? Will you be able to handle the actual weight of the world when it finally comes crashing down?"

Po twitched and sputtered in his sleep; both of the Masters reeled a bit. They were not expecting the loud sound the panda had made. "I'm losing everyone Shifu," Bane began. "I'm losing everyone, whether it is I out age them or they die protecting me; I cannot take it anymore. The burden of loss is what plagues me." Bane buried his head in his arms and let out a tired sigh. Shifu placed a paw on the Master of Eagle style's shoulder, "Loss plagues everyone, but we must all learn to deal with such things. People move on, so must you. You must learn that if you let people go, then they will go in peace to their next life and you will feel better if you accept that."

Bane lifted his head and gave a faint smile, "I have thousands of years of wisdom over you, yet you still know more than me." Shifu smiled,"The older you get, the more you learn. You don't need to know everything to be considered wise." Shifu motioned towards Po, "Go and prepare yourself for today's ceremony. Collect what you need. I shall sit with him." Bane nodded silently then quickly stood and bowed, "Thank you Master Shifu." "Don't mention it great one."

* * *

Bane had snuck back to his room and quickly thrown on his white cloak, boots, gloves, and all the various pouches that were associated to his uniform. He clamped his crossbow to his back, slipped his longbow over his shoulder and slid his legendary rapier into its sheath. The master tip-toed over to the sliding door and silently opened it. He peered down both ends of the hallway and then slipped into the hallway. As he was halfway down the corridor one door to his right slid open and he froze in his tracks. "Good morning Universal Master Bane," came a sweet voice. Bane turned to see the small snake yawning silently. He relaxed a bit. "You can't sleep either?" asked the small viper. The Master nodded, "Yes and I must run some errands before the day begins.""May I join you?""You may." The pair walked/slithered quickly down the remainder of the hallway, being extra careful not to wake anymore of the Palace's residence.

Once they were out the door they conversed about various matters. "So," began Viper. "What kind of errands do you have to run so early in the morning?" Bane pulled out a small piece of parchment, scribbled on it were short phrases and individual words. "I need to pick up candles, certain flowers, and various native herbs. I have most of the rarer, exotic and imported herbs but I still need a few of the more local, indigenous plants. I require them for the ceremony that must take place today." Viper giggled, "It sounds more like your preparing for a date!" Bane chuckled. "So what exactly is the ceremony, Master Bane?""You and the others will see for yourselves, but for now all that is required for you to know is that it is along the line of an initiation." Viper nodded understandingly, "Okay. May I see your list? I know this Valley like the back of my tail! Perhaps I can help you find most of the items on your list."Bane handed the snake the list, who read it over quickly murmuring to herself. Viper then handed the paper back to Bane, "Most of the items you require can be found at the local herbalist, but she isn't open for another few hours. But I know of a place where we can pick the flowers, come on I'll show you!" The pair began to follow the main path through the center of the village still chatting quietly about random things.

"So, you and Crane?" Bane asked simply. Viper stopped in her tracks, her eyes widened and her posture straightened out as if someone had touched her back and she was not expecting it. But as quickly as this brief moment of surprise showed itself, it managed to fade just as quickly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." There was a slightly reddish hue under the small snake's eyes as she said this. "Come now, you're as terrible a liar as you are kind." Viper looked up with a smirk, "Good thing I'm not _that_ kind.""Are you suggesting that the fangless female snake has venom?""The female snake may not inject venom physically however it is just as effective verbally," Viper stated matter-o-factly. "Viper, you must have feelings for him; otherwise you would not cover your lies.""I am not-" Viper, you should talk to him about your feelings." She hushed for a moment. "Do-do you think so?" Bane nodded, "I know so. I mean you both are adults, shouldn't you be able to discuss matters such as this?""It's not as easy as you might think-""It is easier than you make it seem, I should know I was married at one point.""You?!" came Viper's shocked voice."Yes now please explain to me again why it is so difficult to talk to a man about your feelings." The pair hadn't noticed but during their teasing their faces had gotten quite close; not to the point that it was embarrassing but they were within each others' personal space. Viper was first to realize this and hastily tried to apologize for it; "I-I'm sorry-""Shhh.""But I-"""SHHHH! Do you smell that?" Viper quickly realized that Bane face was no longer near hers but facing down the street. His eyes were narrowed at the ground as he tried to hone his other senses. Viper opened her mouth and let her tongue taste the air*. "Yeah it smells like-"Both Masters turned quickly to each other and their eyes met; "FIRE!" they said in union.

Both Masters raced down the street until they could see the yellow-orange glow of flames and they could feel the heat of the fire. Bane turned to Viper quickly and shouted over the flames, "Wake the villagers! Tell them to get water and fight the flames, we don't want the fire to spread!""What about you?!" Viper shouted back. "I'm going make sure no one is inside! Now go!"

The snake rushed off slithering from door to door waking the villagers. Bane turned to the door and shouldered his way inside. He was surprised at how easily the door gave in under his weight. "Hello? Is anyone in here?" Bane called out into the house over the roar of the flames. His eyes darted quickly around the single living space/kitchen. The center beam that was used to support the flooring for the upstairs had fallen on one side, creating a flaming, diagonal barrier across the center of the room. Before Bane continued his search he caught something out of the corner of his eye; a small figure darting up the stairs. "Hello?" he called out once again. Bane listened intently, but all he could hear was the roar of the blaze. Just before Bane gave up and made the assumption that the image was a figure of his imagination, he heard a faint giggle followed by a quiet: 'uncle'.

Bane sprinted and slid under the fallen cross-beam. He charged up the stairs in pursuit of the voice."Hello?" he called out again. Bane saw that a wall of fire blocked him from entering the other side of the room and the fire stretched from one end of the room across the next. The wall of fire blocked Bane from physically reaching the other side of the room, but he could see the other side through a gap in the flames.

Bane peered through the tiny gap of fire and could see two figures on the other side. He tried to call out to the persons, to tell them that everything would be alright but the words got caught in his throat. As Bane looked over into the other half of the room he noticed a large figure that appeared to be stretched out, unconscious across the floor. The figure wore a green and brown cloak with yellow-green highlights identical to his. '_No! It can't be!_' Then Bane turned and saw a second smaller figure sitting next to the unconscious person. The small figure was wrapped in a blanket with one paw out stretched towards the unconscious body. "Uncle? Uncle?" came the faint voice of a child. Bane continued to look on as the soot from the fire soiled his white cloak, "Tigra?" he called out quietly. The small child's ears perked up then the child's head turned towards the hero. Bane gasped aloud, '_It's Tigra! Er-Tigress from all those years ago! But how!?'_ Bane looked into the child's eyes and he could see the flames burning in her irises. She looked terrified and Bane's mid began to scream; '_Do something! You must save her!_' But before Bane could do anything the ceiling gave in above the pair who were strewn across the floor. "Noooooo!" Bane screamed. He rushed forward through the flames burning himself and his clothing as he went but the force of the falling ceiling caused the floor to cave in under him.

Bane fell down into the first floor, coughing and spitting out soot and ash. He was trying to regain his thoughts, '_Was that really Tigress? Who was the other person….was that me? I can't think about this now, the house is coming down on top of me!'_ Bane looked around quickly; the doorway he had entered through was blocked. '_Only one way out: time to make an exit.'_ Bane found a wall that had not been touched by the fire. The Master made a few quick movements then threw a forceful strike at the wall which gave way instantly.

* * *

Viper and several of the villagers had begun to fight the fire at the front of the house. The rest of the Furious Five along with Shifu and Po, had heard the commotion from the Palace and raced to see what happened. The six warriors arrived at the exact same time the floor to the second story collapsed, blocking the doorway. "Viper! Is anyone still inside?" asked Shifu. "Bane went in to make sure! But he hasn't come out yet!" hissed the snake over the flames. '_I hope he's okay',_ Viper thought with concern for her new comrade. As soon as the thought crossed her mid the roof came down, sandwiching the roof and foundation together; everything in between made up about a foot of ruble. Everyone stood dead still, shocked at the sudden event. "No…" came Po's faint voice. "Bane!" screamed Viper. "Uncle." Tigress managed faintly.

There was no reply; everyone bowed their heads fearing the worst. "H-he can't be gone," Viper began. Everyone remained silent. Po walked forward towards the smoldering pile, "He's not gone…I can sense his presence. He's close…almost as if-""I'm right behind you?" Everyone jumped with surprise. They all turned to see a completely black figure. The figure coughed out a cloud of ash, "Sorry about the house, it was coming down anyways," the figure gestured towards the smoldering pile. "Master Bane! You're alive!" everyone shouted and cheered. Several of the villagers embraced the ash covered Master. "I don't think we need to get candles after that," Bane said smiling at Viper. Viper giggled then gave her signature smile right back.

"That was so cool!' came an excited voice towards the back of the group. "I've never seen a house come down like that! How'd you get out?" Everyone turned to see a wide awake and very bouncy Po. "Did you jump out a window or did you level the whole house with a single blow? Hi-yah!" Po was jumping around, throwing punches and kicks in the air and making 'Kung Fu noises'. The crowd and Masters laughed heartily at the panda's excitement, well, all except for one; Bane. Something had caught the Master's attention and whatever it was; it was causing him to stare in Po's direction. Bane appeared to be in a trance and Tigress noticed this, "Master Bane, is everything alright?" Bane seemed to ignore her altogether and he began to wander towards Po.

The moment Po finished one of his high kicks Bane firmly gripped the panda by his jaw and turned his face so that the two of them stood face to face. "Ow! Hey Master Bane that's my jaw. I kinda need that to talk," complained Po. Bane remained silent and focused. Everyone in the area stopped what they were doing and looked on. After what seemed like hours of silence Bane finally spoke, "Po….""Yes Master Bane?""Have you looked in a mirror lately?""Yeah! You're talking about the thing going on with my-""eyes?...""Yeah!"

"Master Bane is there a problem?" asked Master Shifu, stepping forward. Bane shook his head and turned to face everyone, revealing what he had noticed; Po's emerald eyes now had blue flames burning in them. "No, no Master Shifu everything is fine. It seems the initiation of Phoenix into the Order will not be the only significant event that occurs today." Bane paused and gave everyone a bitter-sweet smile, " I believe we shall also see the return and initiation of Dragon…"

* * *

***Snakes don't have a nose; but they can taste, feel, and 'smell' with their tongues. **

** What's up everyone! J I apologize for the really late post! This WAS supposed to be a Christmas gift for all of you out there. As you can see it's a little late (Nervous laugh). Anyways, you can probably make some predictions as to where the story is STARTING to go….I have plenty of twists and other ideas soooo don't just assume things are going to be really predictable. In fact the ending (which I may have written before even started the story) may not be anything like you expected. Also I hope you all liked ****_A Mysterious Heart._**** It was a little something for you all to enjoy while I had time to update this… I also plan on doing one for every significant character in KFP. And I already have the next two (By request) that I'm gonna do. But remember if you want a certain character to come before the others send me a message or leave a comment. The order is decided by you! Lastly…I want you people too know: the story hasn't really been M-rated up till now and has very little of it so far. There won't be too much for the next few chapters but things will start to get out of hand so if any of you have an issue with that I'm sorry. Well that's about it for now! My next three pieces shall be these: ****_A Mischievous Heart, A Pure Heart, and Chapter 15: The Ceremony of Truths and Fire…(no other spoilers shall be given) _****Peace! :) **


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